MULBERRY CULTIVATION

PACKAGE OF PRACTICES OF MULBERRY UNDER RAINFED CONDITION

• Raising of mulberry under rainfed condition where area receives rainfall of 700 mm
is quite optimum for production of quality mulberry
• 3-4 crops/ year

Mulberry varieties recommended for rainfed condition are S-13 (Red loamy soil) , S-34
(Black cotton soil), RFS -135 , RFS- 175

Selection of Land

• Land type - Flat or slopy land

• Soil type – Wide range of soil (Loamy to sandy and clayey loam)
• Ideal soil pH- 6.5 to 6.8
• If soil pH ˂ 6.5 acidic ( Reclaimed by Adding Lime)
• If soil pH ˃ 7.5 alkaline (Reclaimed by Adding Alkaline)
• Organic carbon – 1%

Land preparation

• Planting should be undertaken during the commencement of monsoon season (June -

July)
• Land preparation should start in pre-monsoon season
• Land should be ploughed to a depth of 30-35 cm prior to dry season (kill weeds and
soil born pest & diseases)
• During Premonsoon showers, soil lumps must be broken and ploughed to bring the
soil to fine tilth
• Leveling and planting of mulberry saplings

Selection planting material

a)Cuttings

• Branches from 6-8 month old plants

• Length : 20-22 cm
• Eye buds : 3-4
• Thickness :10-15 mm

b) Saplings

• Four month old sapling is ideal for planting

• Plant attain height of 100-120 cm

Planting Method (Pit method)

• Pit size : 35×35×35 cm (square /circle)

 • Spacing: 90 ×90 cm
• Pit is filled with mixture of Soil :FYM (1:2 kg/ pit)
• 3 cuttings are planted in each pit in the shape of triangle with spacing of 15 cm
• After establishment retain only one healthy plant per pit
• One sapling per pit

Initial care and establishment (First year)

• First weeding :When the plant attain 2- 3month old

• First dose of fertilizer ( complex fertilizer -25:25:25 kg NPK/ha/yr):after first
weeding
• Second weeding :2 months after first weeding
• Second dose of fertilizer (25 kg N ): after second weeding
• By the end of 8-10 months, plantation give sufficient foliage but it is not advise take
early leaf harvest before attaining full harvest

During first year the recommended dose of fertilizer is 50 :25:25 kg NPK per ha/yr

Second year onwards

Annual Bottom pruning (20-25 cm ) First week of June

First weeding and intercultivation Within a week of pruning

Bulk organic Manure 10 MT /ha Within 10-15 days after pruning

Sowing of inter crops (Cow pea and horse gram Within 40-45days after sowing and before
-15 kg/ha/yr ) flowering incorporated into soil
First Leaf harvest 2 ½ months after pruning

Second weeding Within in a week of first leaf harvest

First dose of fertilizer – 50:50:50 NPK kg/ha/yr 5-8 weeks after Organic manure or following of
first leaf harvest
Second leaf harvest 2 months after First leaf harvest

Second dose of fertilizer -50 kg/N 3 weeks after second leaf harvest

Third leaf harvest 2 months after second leaf harvest

Third weeding Within 2 weeks of after third leaf harvest

Fourth leaf harvest 2 months after third leaf harvest

Fourth weeding Within 2 weeks of after fourth leaf harvest

Fifth leaf harvest 2 months after fourth leaf harvest

Fifth weeding Within 2 weeks of after fourth leaf harvest

Sixth leaf harvest 2 months after fifth leaf harvest

Second year onwards recommended dose of fertilizer is 100:50:50 kg NPK per ha/yr

Yield

• Second year: 7-8 MT leaf/ha/yr

• Third year onwards: 10-12 MT leaf/ha/yr
• 4-6 crops harvested depending upon season and region

PACKAGE OF PRACTICES OF MULBERRY UNDER IRRIGATED CONDITION

Selection of Land

• Land type - Flat or slopy land

• Soil type – Wide range of soil (Loamy to sandy and clayey loam)
• Ideal soil pH- 6.5 to 6.8
• If soil pH ˂ 6.5 acidic ( Reclaimed by Adding Lime)
• If soil pH ˃ 7.5 alkaline (Reclaimed by Adding Alkaline)
• Organic carbon - 1%

Planting method

Paired Row System

• More popular
• Facilitates adoption of mechanization for intercultural operations using tractor / power
tillers
• More number of plants are accommodate compared to pit system of planting

Initial care and establishment (First year)

• First weeding : manually 2 months after planting

• First dose of fertilizer ( complex fertilizer -50:50:50 kg NPK/ha/yr):when plantation
attains 3 months
• First Leaf Harvest :6 months after planting
• Second dose of fertilizer (50 kg N ): within 3 weeks after first leaf harvest
 • Two more leaf harvest can be done at an interval of 3 months by leaf picking method
• After third leaf harvest: Bottom pruning
• Recommended dose of fertilizer is 100 :50:50 kg NPK per ha/yr

Weeds

• Cyperus rotundus and Cyanodon dactylon are found common in mulberry plantation
• Weedicide : Glycel 0.71 %
• Spraying – 2-3 days after pruning in alternate crop ( 1st and 3rd crop)

Irrigation

• Sandy loam soil: 7-8 day

• Clay loam soil : 8-10 days
• 1 ½ - 2 acre inches water per irrigation is required

Drip Irrigation

• The required quantity of water is supplied to root zone through micro tubes (40 %
water is saved )
• Fertigation is possible

Manure and Fertilizer application (2nd year onwards)

• FYM/Compost : 20 MT
• Chemical fertilizer : 300:120:120 kg NPK/ha/yr

No. Of FYM Fertilizer (kg/ha/harvest) General garden

Leaf (MT/ha/
harvest yr)
Shoot harvest Leaf harvest

N P K N P K N P K

First 10 70 28 28 60 60 60 60 60 60

Second - 70 28 28 40 - - 60

Third - 70 28 28 40 - - 60 60 60
Fourth 10 70 28 28 60 60 60 60

Fifth - 70 28 28 40 - - 60

Sixth - - - - 40 - - - - -

Total 20 350 140 140 280 120 120 300 120 120
Nutrients

1 Poshan Multi nutrient foliar spray 25-30DAP

formulation 7 ml/L water
Enhances leaf yield upto 20 %
st
2 Seriboost Liquid fertilizer and 1 spray:20-25 DAP
micronutrients nd
2 spray :30-35 DAP
2.5 ml Seriboost / 1 lt of water
Increases leaf yield:15 - 20 %
3 Triacantanol Growth regulating 2 split doses(125 ml+600 l water
(Vipul) substances /ha/harvest)
st
1 – 10-15 DAP
nd
2 – 15 days after first spay
Increases leaf yield:15 - 20 %
4 Iron 0.5 % ferrous sulphate 20-25 DAP
Enhances leaf yield upto 12-15 %
5 Zn 1 % Zinc Sulphate 20-25 DAP
Enhances leaf yield upto 20 %
(DAP –Days after pruning)

SECOND YEAR ONWARDS

Annual Bottom pruning (20-25 cm ) First week of June

First weeding and intercultivation Within a week of pruning

Bulk organic Manure 20 MT /ha Within 10-15 days after pruning

First dose of fertilizer Within a month after pruning

First shoot harvest By pruning (Mid August)

Second weeding Within in a week of first leaf harvest

Second dose of fertilizer -50 kg/N Within a month of first harvest

Second shoot harvest By pruning (Early November)

Third weeding Within a week of second leaf harvest

Third dose of fertilizer Within a month of second leaf harvest

Third shoot harvest By pruning (Mid January)

Fourth weeding Within a weeks of after third leaf harvest

Fourth dose of fertilizer Within a month of third leaf harvest

Fourth shoot harvest By pruning (Late March)

Fifth weeding Within a weeks of fourth leaf harvest

Fifth dose of fertilizer Within a month of fourth leaf harvest

Fifth shoot harvest By pruning (Early June )

Yield

• 25-60 MT/ha/yr - 5 shoot harvest /6 leaf harvest

• 25 MT- hilly areas (5 leaf harvest)

SERI SUVARNA TECHNOLOGY (RAINFED CONDITION)

It is also known as trenching and mulching method developed from Dr. K. P. Chinnaswamy,
UAS, GKVK BENGALURU.

Objective :

➢ Rainfed water harvesting

➢ Fertility of soil
➢ Soil moisture conservation

Bottom pruning

Open trenches (2 ft ×1.5 ft depth) in alternate rows

1st Layer- 8 tonnes of green manure

2nd layer – Compost/ FYM (10 tonnes

Open up 2nd trenches and cover the earlier trenches)

Open small furrows on the closed trench and add Biofertilizer ( 2 kgs)

Grow leguminous crops on trenches filled with mulching material

SERI SUVARNA TECHNOLOGY
 PRUNING, HARVESTING AND STORAGE OF MULBERRY

PRUNING

“Methodical removal of certain branches of mulberry plant with an objective of giving

proper size and shape to increase the leaf yield and feeding value”

Pruning method varies with

1.Place to place

2.Climate
3.Geographical location
4.Method of silkworm rearing
5.Type of training
6.Rainfed or irrigated condition

Pruning is closely coordinated with harvesting and type of rearing

OBJECTIVES OF PRUNING

• It is done to maintain proper size and shape

• To expose the plant to more uniform sunlight and aeration
• To induce more vegetative growth than reproductive growth to increase leaf yield
• To divert nutrients for optimum production of foliage
• To facilitate easy intercultural operations
• To remove dead and decomposed portions of the stem
• To synchronize leaf production for silkworm rearing
• To extend the leaf production period with respect to the season
• To minimize the incidence of pest and diseases
CARE DURING PRUNING

• Cuts are injurious, care is to be taken to minimize the damage

• Cut should be clean without any cracks
• Sharp, good and ideal implements should be used
• Lime washing of cut end is necessary to prevent entry of pathogens
• When there are two annual basal pruning , the second can be made to the mid level of
branches or slightly lower, this reduces injury to the plant
• In case of five prunings annually, step up /step down pruning is followed to reduce the
injury to the plant

METHODS OF PRUNING ARE CLASSIFIED INTO DIFFERENT GROUPS BASED ON

THE HEIGHT OF MULBERRY STUMP AND PLANTING METHODS
I. Pruning are classified into different groups based on the height of mulberry stump

a)Low cut mulberry :15-30 cm above ground level

b)Mid trunk mulberry: 60-70 cm above ground level

c)High trunk mulberry:120-150 cm above ground level

these methods are followed in temperate region

II. Pruning are classified into different groups based on planting system

a) Bottom pruning

b) Middle pruning

c) Top pruning

d) Kolar pruning

1.Bottom pruning (Annual pruning):

• It is also known as low cut pruning

• Mulberry shoots should be pruned during July-August at 10-15 cm above ground
level for free branching and maximum bush development
• This is practiced in both irrigated and rain fed condition under pit system gardens,
But specifically recommended under rainfed condition.
• Once in a year

2. Middle pruning

• It is also called as high cut pruning where branches are cut around mid height of
about 1 meter
• Mulberry shoots should be pruned at 60-90 cm height above ground level at first
harvest
• It is carried out during winter season
• This facilitates sprouting of lower buds in the mulberry bush

3. Top pruning

➢ The branches are cut at the top confining to the green softwood portion

4. Kolar system

• The branches are cut to the ground level at each harvest.

• Pruning and shoot harvesting are carried at the same time
Stepwise pruning

The shoots are cut at different heights, shoots are cut to the ground level once a year, and
middle cut is done after every two crops.

• This will give more yield than frequent bottom pruning

• It is followed only in irrigated mulberry garden

Why Stepwise pruning is followed?

• Repeating pruning at the same height leads to sap oozes out from the cut ends
• Excessive loss of sap is harmful to the plant

a. STEP UP PRUNING

• Annual bottom pruning is carried out to the crown height of 15 cm combining with
shoot harvest for the first crop
• Primary branches are cut at an height of 15 cm to obtain second crop
• Secondary branches are cut 10 cm up, to obtain third crop
• Tertiary branches are cut further 10 cm up, to obtain Fourth crop
• The fifth and final crop, the branches are cut another 10 cm up

b. STEP DOWN PRUNING

• Annual bottom pruning is done at height of 15 cm and harvest first crop

• In order to get second crop, primary branches are cut at a height of 60 cm then the
branch height is reduced to 45 cm in third crop (Harvest)
• For harvesting fourth crop, the branches are cut at and height of 30cm
• Before taking fifth crop branches are cut at an height of 15 cm
• Annual bottom pruning is done to repeat the procedure again
 •
TRAINING

Pruning is done systematically to give specific shape to the tree is called training

A) Fist Form

B) Non fist form

A.FIST FORM

• Branches are cut at the base maintaining a constant height of 30 cm above the
ground level
• Repeated pruning of branches at the same height every year the top part of the trunk
gradually increases in diameter without an increase in its height.
• It resemble the shape of closed fist

b. NON FIST FORM

• Branches are cut at level of higher than the branching point of every year (30-50
cm)
• Branching point of the shoot, increases in height every year
• Hence fist does not develop

Harvesting of Mulberry leaves

• The success of silkworm rearing depends on the quality of leaf that is fed to silk
worms
• The method of harvesting leaves varies in different areas according to the rearing
method followed
 • Harvesting of mulberry leaf is modified to suit the intensity of rearing and
availability of labour at a given time

During harvesting following leaves are to be avoided

• Too tender leaves

• Dusty leaves
• Diseased leaves
• Pest infested leaves
• Insecticide sprayed leaves
• Over mature and coarse leaves
• Soiled leaves

Methods of leaf harvesting

(a) Leaf picking

(b) Shoot-harvest

(c) Branch cutting

A. LEAF PICKING

• In India, most of the rears follow individual leaf picking

• The leaves are harvested according to the age of silk worms
• After the leaves are harvested from the main stem, the terminal bud is allowed to
develop
• This will help in rapid development of lateral shoots
• The first leaf harvest begins about 10 weeks after bottom pruning and subsequent
picking at an interval of 7-8 weeks
• While harvesting the leaves, picking with petiole helps in retaining the moisture
content for longer duration
• Leaf picking should be done during early hours of morning or evening
• Practiced in Pit system of mulberry plantation

Advantages

• Wastage of leaf can be minimized

• The main advantage of this method is that, leaves can be selected to suit the growth
stage of larvae

Disadvantages

• It requires more labour

• Leaves wither too quickly if not stored properly

B.BRANCH CUTTING
 • The entire branch is harvested and fed to silkworm after 3rd moult
• This method is adopted in Kashmir, parts of West Bengal and Karnataka
• This system of feeding in Kashmir is called “Batchi” system and in Japan it is known
as “Jossoiku”
• This is followed in where mulberry is maintained as tree and middling plantations
• This is also practiced in floor rearing and shoot rearing

Advantages

• Cost of labor can be minimized (collection of leaf and spacing)

• Easy to feed the silkworm
• In this type of feeding wastage of leaf can be minimized
• Bed cleaning process is easy and labor saving
• Quality of leaves can be maintained for a longer duration, since leaves are not
detached from the branch
• Easy to disinfect the rearing equipment if branch feeding is adopted in shelf rearing
or floor rearing, since much of the equipment like rearing dollas, feeding stand etc., is
not required

C.WHOLE SHOOT HARVESTING

• The branches are cut down to the ground level (20-25 cm)
• The shoots are harvested with an interval of 10-12 weeks and it may extend to another
2-3 weeks depending upon the availability of water and favorable climatic conditions.
• In this type of harvesting method 5-6 leaf harvests are possible in a year
• This method is suitable where the sprouting takes place throughout the year
• In this method, harvesting of leaf and pruning of plants are carried out simultaneously
• This method is popular in Kolar district in Karnataka and Malda district in West
Bengal
• In Japan and Russia, whole shoot harvest is done with mechanical harvester

Advantages of Whole Shoot Harvesting

• Reduced expenditure on labour for harvesting, transportation and feeding silkworms

• The number of feeds per day is reduced considerably
• Leaf moisture is retained for longer period
• Shoots can be preserved easily
• It helps to maintain more hygienic in rearing house

Time of leaf Harvesting

• The mulberry leaf should be harvested in the early morning, as the day passes the
quality of leaves in terms of moisture content comes down due to active
transpiration
• Leaves are picked up during the morning or evening hours and preserved carefully
Transportation of Leaves

• Transportation of leaf should be always done in the morning hours or late evening
• Transportation of leaf should be always in baskets covered with a wet gummy cloth
• Transported leaves should not be kept as a heap, but they must be scattered and
preserved in leaf chambers
• Generally, the leaves are harvested twice a day and are preserved for successive
feedings.
• Construction of rearing house in the mulberry garden itself is recommended

Preservation of Leaf

• The leaves transported should be preserved in moist, cool and clear places in order to
preserve their succulence.
• When the leaves are stored for a longer period, the proteins are broken into amino
acids and the carbohydrates are broken into simple sugars, leaves start withering
due to loss of water and deterioration of nutritive value.
• There is no net decrease of total nitrogen, The crude ash and fibre content are not
affected during storage period.
• The mulberry leaves should be stored at a R.H. of 90% or above and temperature
below 20°C.

Duration of storing

• The water content of the mulberry leaves is very high or if they are very soft and
immature, they are stored for 12 to 24 hours
• If the leaves are matured they should be stored for a period of 6-12 hours until
these leaves are fed to the silk worm.

Methods of storing

The harvested mulberry leaves can be stored for the young silk worms (Chawki Silkworm )
in pots or baskets.

a. Earthen pot method:

• The tender leaves for young silk worms can be preserved in earthen pot and covered
with wet cloth.
• The pot should be kept on sand bed which is also kept moist.

b. Baskets:

• The leaves are stored in bamboo baskets lined with gunny cloth that can be kept wet
by sprinkling water at frequent intervals.
c. Flat moist sand bed method:
• Mulberry leaves required for chawki can be stored on a flat moist sand bed covered
with wet and clean white cloth.
• Again after arranging the leaves on the sand bed, they must be covered with wet white
cloth.

Storing leaves for mature larvae (Late age silkworm)

a . Leaf chamber method:

• Wooden leaf chambers measuring 1.5mx10mx0.8m which are lined with wet gunny
cloth are used for preserving leaves.

• The gunny cloth can be kept wet by sprinkling water at frequent intervals.

• Harvested leaves must be sprinkled with water in summer season. The leaves should be
heaped loosely and periodically turned to provide aeration and to prevent rise in
temperature inside the heap .

b. Gunny cloth method:

• Mulberry leaves meant for rearing late instars (IV &V) is stored in wet gunny cloth on
concrete or floor covered with straw mat

• In order to save the mulberry leaves from wilting during storage leaves placed on the floor
with wet gunny cloth is also practiced by rearers

• The mulberry shoots are stored by tied in to loose bundles and kept in a straight position
with the top ends upwards and covered with wet gunny cloth which should be periodically
moistened
 MULBERRY DISEASES

I. FOLIAR DISEASES
1. Leaf Spot
2. Powdery Mildew
3. Leaf Rust
4. Leaf blight
1. LEAF SPOT

Pathogen : Cercospora moricola

Occurrence :

• It is more prevalent in India especially South, during rainy season followed by winter
• The disease starts progressing 35-40 days after pruning (DAP)/leaf harvesting and becomes
severe on the 70th DAP

Crop loss : 10-12 %

Symptoms

• Initial stage: Small Brownish necrotic, irregular spots appear on the leaf surface
• Later stage: Spots enlarge, extend and join together leaving characteristic ‘shot hole’
• Leaves become yellow and wither off as disease becomes severe

Factors responsible for spreading of the disease:

• The disease is air borne spreading by conidia primarily through rain droplets
• Temperature of 24-26 ºC and 70-80 % relative humidity are most congenial for the disease
development

Control measures to be adopted

• Wider spacing in mulberry garden(Paired row system )

• Balanced application of Fertilizers
• Spraying of 0.2 % Bavistin (Carbendazim 50% WP) solution on the leaves.
• Safe Period: 5 days
• Two times spraying at an interval of 1 week (high severity )

2. POWDERY MILDEW

Pathogen : Phyllactinia corylea

Occurrence :

• Disease is prevalent during winter and rainy seasons and progresses 40th DAP/leaf harvest
becoming severe on 70th DAP

Crop loss: 5-10%

Factors responsible for spreading of the disease

• The disease is air borne spreading by conidia primarily through wind current
• Temperature of 24 - 28º C and high relative humidity (75-80 %) are responsible for infection
and disease development

Symptoms:

• White powdery patches appear on the lower surface of the leaves

• Later spread to entire leaf surface
• The corresponding portions on the upper surface develop chlorotic lesions
• When severe, the white powdery patches turn to brownish-black
• the leaves become yellow, coarse and loose their nutritive value

Control measures to be adopted:

• Follow wider spacing of plantation (90 cm x 90 cm) or paired row planting system [(90
+150) × 60 cm]
• Resistant variety MR-2 and China white
• Spraying of 0.2 % Karathane (Dinocap 30% EC) / Bavistin on the lower surface of the leaves.
Safe period 5 days
• Or spray Sulfex (80WP) 0.2%, safe period 15 days

3. LEAF RUST

a) BLACK RUST
• It is very common under south Indian condition

Pathogen : Cerotelium fici

Occurrence:

• The disease is more prevalent during winter and rainy seasons

• It starts progressing 45-50 DAP becoming severe on 70th DAP
• The mature leaves are more prone to the disease

Crop loss: 10-15%

Factors responsible for spreading of the disease:

• The disease is air borne dispersing by uredospores through water droplets and wind current
• Temperature of 22-26°C and high relative humidity above 70 % are favourable for the disease
development

Symptoms
• Lower surface : Initially, numerous pinhead sized circular to oval brownish to black eruptive
eruptive lesions appear
• Upper surface :Small brownish spots
• later leaves become yellowing, drying and premature fall of leaf
Control measures to be adopted:

• Follow wider spacing of plantation (90 cm x 90 cm) or paired row planting system [(90+150)
× 60 cm]
• Avoid delayed leaf harvest
• Spraying 0.2% Kavach (Chlorothalonil 75 % WP) on the leaves
• Safe period: 5 days

b)RED RUST

• It is widespread in sub-tropical countries like China, Japan, Korea

• In India it is minor diseases found in northern parts viz., Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal
and north eastern region

Pathogen : Aceidium mori

Occurrence :

• The disease is more prevalent during winter and rainy seasons

Crop loss: 8-10%

Factors responsible for spreading of the disease:

• The disease is air borne dispersing by uredospores through water droplets and wind current
• Temperature of 10-22°C and high relative humidity 77-85 % are favourable for the disease
development

Symptoms

• Affects young buds, leaves petioles and shoots

• Affected buds are swollen, curl up in abnormal shape with many protruded yellow spots
• Leaf: Numerous small round , shiny yellow coloured protruded spots appears on both the
surface
• If petioles and shoots are affected, the fungus spread through vascular bundles

Control measures to be adopted:

• Removal of Affected plant part

• Follow wider spacing of plantation (90 cm x 90 cm) or paired row planting system [(90+150)
× 60 cm]
• Spraying of 0.2 % Bavistin

4. LEAF BLIGHT DISEASE

a) FUNGAL LEAF BLIGHT
• The disease is more prevalent mainly in tropical region

Pathogen:
• Alternaria alternata and Fusarium pallidoroseum
Occurrence:

• The disease is air-borne and is prevalent during summer and rainy seasons

Crop loss: 10-12 %

Factors Responsible for Spreading of the Disease:

• Dispersal of fungal spores (conidia) by water and wind currents
• Temperature of 25-30º C and humidity of 40-60 % are favourable for the outbreak of this
disease

Symptoms:

• The disease starts as browning/ blackening of leaves from tips or margins of leaf
• When severe, Backening is spread to the leaf base covering the entire leaf lamina and petiole
• Severely affected leaf become yellow and fall off

Control measures to be adopted

• Follow wider spacing of plantation or paired row-planting system

• Spraying 0.2 % Dithane M-45 (Mancozeb 75 % WP) on the leaves

b) BACTERIAL LEAF BLIGHT

• The disease is worldwide in occurrence

Pathogen:

• The pathogens are Pseudomonas syringae and/or Xanthmonas compestris

Occurrence:

• The disease is both air and soil-borne and is more prevalent during rainy and winter seasons

Crop loss: 5-10 %

Factors responsible for spreading of the disease

• High temperature (28-30 °C) and high humidity (>80 %)are favourable for the disease
development
• Primary source of infection : Soil
• Secondary source of infection :Irrigation and cultivation practices

Symptoms

• A small water soaked irregular brown spots appears on lower surface and later on upper
surface resulting in rotting of leaves
• In severe condition, veins and veinlets become necrotic and finally leaf become curled, rotten
& turned brownish black in colour
• On stem, dark irregular sunken lesions from which bacterial ooze comes out

Control measures to be adopted

 • Follow wider spacing of plantation or paired row planting system
• Spraying Streptomycin (0.2%) or Dithane M-45 (0.2%) on the leaves

II. ROOT DISEASES

In Nursery,

• Stem canker(Botryodiplodia theobromae)

• Cutting rot (Fusarium solani)
• Collar rot (Phoma mororum, Phoma sorghina)
• Die back (Botryodiplodia theobromae)
In established plantation,

• Root knot (Meloidogyne incognita)

• Root rot
• Root disease complex (Meloidogyne incognita with Fusarium solani, Botryodiplodia
theobromae

1. Root Knot Disease

• Root knot is a serious soil-borne disease

• It is caused by a nematode (a non-segmented worm) an endo-parasite
• They make the plants susceptible to various other diseases

Pathogen: Meloidogyne incognita

Occurrence:

• The disease is seen throughout the year and more common in sandy soils under irrigated
conditions

Crop loss: 15 %

Factors responsible for spreading of the disease

• The disease spreads primarily through contaminated soil, farm implements and run-off
irrigation
• Plantation of infected saplings, cultivation of other susceptible crops along with mulberry and
growth of some susceptible weeds in and around the mulberry gardens act as the secondary
sources of infection
• Temperature from 20-30 ºC, soil moisture of more than 60 % and pH of 4-8 are favourable for
the development of the root knot disease

Symptoms:

• The severely affected mulberry plants show stunted growth with yellowing of foliage at leaf
margin
• Formation of knots/galls on the roots is the underground symptom
• Young, spherical and yellowish-white galls appear on roots
• Old galls are big and pale brown
 • They are often mistaken with root nodules
• Root galls are bulging of roots at different places and root nodules appear on the root surfaces

Control Measures:

a) Physical and Cultural Method

• Deep ploughing in summer helps to kill the nematode eggs and larvae
• Use disease free saplings for new plantation. If the saplings are having root knot symptoms,
treat them with hot water (48°C for 20 minutes)before plantation
• To avoid the cross contamination in healthy field, disinfect the farm implements either with
5% Formalin solution or dip in boiling water for 5 - 10 minutes before use
• Plant marigold (Tagetus patula) as inter-crop at distance of 30 cm in between mulberry rows
• Apply neem oil cake @ 2 mt/ha/yr in 4 split doses around the plant during fertilizer
application/ cultural operation

b)Chemical Method:

• Apply Furadan (Carbofuran 3 G) @ 40 kg/ha/yr in 4 split doses around the plant during
fertilizer application/cultural operations (safe period:40-45 days)

c)Integrated Method:

• Soil application of Bionema (produced by using Verticillium chlamydosporium) mixed with

Farm Yard Manure (FYM) and Neem oil cake in the ratio of 1:200:24 @ 200g / plant three
times a year is an integrated approach for these diseases.
• 3 times/ year (interval of 4 months)
• Expose the roots of infected plants by digging to a depth of 15 cm.
• Cut the bunches of knots of the roots and burn

2. Root Rot Disease

Different types of Root Rot Diseases

❖ Dry root rot-Fusarium solani/Fusarium oxysporum

❖ Charcoal root rot-Macrophomia phaseolina
❖ Black root rot-Botryodiplodia theobromae
❖ Violet root rot-Helicobasidium mompa
❖ White root rot-Rosellinia necatrix
❖ Armilaria root rot-Armilaria mellea

• Root rot is a dangerous disease posing a serious problem to the industry

• It kills the plants completely
• The disease is common in almost all the sericultural countries

Pathogen:

• Fusarium solani or F. oxysporum or Botryodiplodia theobromae or Macrophomina

phaseolina
Occurrence:

• Throughout the year in all types of soils especially when the soil moisture and organic matter
in soil are less

Crop loss: 12-14 %

Factors responsible for spreading of the disease

• High temperature (26 - 35ºC), low moisture (below 40 %) and low organic matter
• Contaminated soil, farm implements and irrigation
• The secondary infestation is through diseased saplings

Control measures:

a)Physical Method

• Uproot the dead plants and burn. Heat the uprooted area by burning with dry leaves and
grasses
• Plough the infested land deeply and expose to hot sun for effective killing of the pathogens
• Apply sufficient quantity of organic manure to the affected soil
• Uproot the diseased plants and burn

b)Chemical Method

• Apply Dithane M-45 around the root system @ 10 g/plant after removing the soil from the
infected plants to a depth of 15 cm when withering of plant starts
• If the disease is very severe, uproot the affected plants and burn
• Apply 10 g of Dithane M-45/pit in the diseased pit and plant the new saplings after dipping
the root system with Dithane M-45 solution for 30 minutes
• Also apply Dithane M-45 to the surrounding plants of the diseased patchin four doses per year

IDM involves the application of both Dithane M-45 and biofungicide,

• Raksha (Trichoderma harzianum) (a product of CSRTI, Mysore)

• Prepare Raksha mixture by mixing of 1 kg Raksha with 50 kg FYM (for 100 plants)
• 4 times/year (interval of 3 months)
• Navinya :
➢ It contains 80 % herbal and 20 % chemical
➢ 1kg+ 100 litre water
➢ 1 lit/plant is recommended

3. Rot disease complex

• It is an association of nematode Meloidogyne incognita and root rot fungal pathogens

Fusarium solani or F. oxysporum or Botryodiplodia theobromae or Macrophomina
phaseolina.
 NURSERY DISEASES

• The wounds occurring during preparation of cuttings are the entry points for many soil-borne
pathogens to cause the diseases during nursery preparation
• Stem canker, Cutting rot, Collar rot and Dieback are the major diseases during nursery stage
• Stem canker and Cutting rot are affected during sprouting of the cuttings
• Diseases like Collar rot and Die back attack the saplings

Crop loss:

• The mortality is up to 35 % and will be high (more than 50 %) in high -yielding but poor
rooting mulberry varieties

Factors responsible for spreading of the disease:

• The diseases spread by rain and irrigation water

• The primary infection occurs through contaminated soil and farm implements
• The secondary infestation is by planting the infected stem-cuttings
• Temperature of 28-30 ºC, soil moisture below 40 % and soil pH of 5 - 10 are favourable for
the disease development

STEM-CANKER

Pathogen: Botryodiplodia theobromae

Symptoms:

• The disease appears as greenish-black eruptions on cuttings. The bark decays and dies

CUTTING ROT

Pathogen: Fusarium solani

Symptoms:

• The disease appears as decaying of bark and then rotting of the whole cutting resulting in
death of the sprouted cutting

COLLAR ROT

Pathogen:

• Phoma sorghina or P. mororum

Symptoms:

• The disease appears as brown or black discolouration of bark and rotting of cuttings near the
soil
 DIE-BACK

Pathogen:

• Botryodiplodia theobromae

Symptoms:

• The saplings start wilting from the tip downwards resulting in death of the saplings

Control Measures:

Cultural Method

• Plough the land deeply and level it to avoid water logging

• Expose the soil to the sunlight for about a month
• Remove weeds for good establishment of the saplings/plants

Chemical Method

• Prepare 0.1% solution of Dithane M-45 by mixing 1 gram in 1 litre of water

• Soak the cuttings in Dithane M-45 solution for half an hour
• Plant the soaked cuttings in nursery beds followed by irrigation

Integrated Management

• This method involves the dipping of cuttings in Dithane M-45 (0.1%) solution and application
of bioformulation called as Nursery-Guard prepared by using Trichoderma pseudokoningii (a
product of CSRTI, Mysore)

Method of Application

• Mix 1 kg Nursery-Guard with 60 kg FYM (sufficient for 2000 cuttings) and store the mixture
under the shade for one week by adding 10 - 12 litres of water
• After one week, broadcast the mixture in nursery beds @ 2 kg/m2 and mixwell in the soil
• Soak the cuttings in Dithane M-45 (0.1 %) solution for half an hour and plant the soaked
cuttings in treated beds followed by irrigation
• For direct plantation of cuttings in main field, apply Nursery Guard mixture inpits @ 50 g/pit
before plantation
 SAP SUCKERS

MEALYBUG

1. Pink mealybug, Maconellicoccus hirsutus

2. Papaya mealybug, Paracoccus marginatus

THRIPS

 Mulberry thrips, Pseudodendrothrips mori

 Thrips, Pseudodendrothrips bhattii

WHITEFLY

 Spiralling whitefly, Aleurodicus dispersus

 Mulberry whitefly, Dialeuropora decempuncta

JASSID

SCALE INSECT,

 Black scale insect, Saissetia nigra

 Soft scale insect, Megapulvinaria maxima

 1. PINK MEALYBUG
Maconellicoccus hirsutus
❖ Phylum: Arthropoda
❖ Class: Insecta
❖ Order: Hemiptera
❖ Family:Pseudococcidae
❖ Genus:Maconellicoccus
❖ Species: hirsutus

 Pink melaybug is popularly known as “Hard to Kill” Pest due to presence of mealy
substance which will prevents the entry of insecticides and act as protective layering

Occurrence

 They occur on mulberry throughout the year, but the incidence is high in summer
months (March to August).

 Their population is negligible during rainy season

Leaf Yield loss: 10-30 %

Alternate host plants:

 Important host plants are hibiscus, beans, pumpkin, croton, chrysanthemum, citrus,
grapevine, guava, coffee, sugarcane, soybean, mango, pigeon pea, maize, cotton, teak
etc.

Damage and symptoms

• The nymphs feed by sucking the sap from tender leaves

• The affected apical shoots show bunchy appearance due to
• Curling of leaves
• Thickening,
• Rossate appearance
• Shortening of internodes
• Become dark green in colour and then turn to yellowish
• This symptom is popularly known as 'Tukra‘ in India
• In advance stages of infestation
• Black sooty mould is developed in the affected area due to growth of fungus on the
honey dew secreted by the mealybug
• The pest makes both quantitative and qualitative loss in mulberry production due to
retarded growth of plants and depletion in nutritional value of the leaves
Management practices

• Clip off infested apical shoots and destroy by burning or dipping in soap solution(0.5
%)
• Do not grow alternate host plants of the mealybug in the vicinity of mulberry gardens.

Chemical

1.Spray 0.05% Dimethoate (36 % EC) 12-15 days after pruning.

• Safe period to silkworm is 20-25 days.

2.Spraying of 0.2% DDVP(76% EC)@ 2.63 ml/lit after 10-15 days after pruning

• One more spray 10 days after first spray

• Safe period- 15 days

3.Spraying of 0.05 % commercial neem pesticide (0.03 % Azadirachtin ) at the rate of

5ml/lit

• Safe period is 10 days

Release predatory lady bird beetles

• Cryptolaemus montrouzieri @250 adults or

• Scymnus coccivora @ 500 adults /acre/ year in two split doses at an interval of six
months (Oct- Nov & Jan- Feb)

2. PAPAYA MEALYBUG,
Paracoccus marginatus

• Papaya mealy bug infestations are typically observed in clusters of cotton like
masses
• It has piercing-sucking mouth parts and feeding on phloem sap of mulberry both
from stem and leaf resulting in loss of moisture and decline in nutritional values
• The pest also injects a toxic substance into the plants while feeding.
• Damage and symptoms
• The symptoms appear on the leaves as
• chlorosis (yellowing)
• deformation (curling)
• pre mature drop
• stunted growth followed by death of plants.
• Growth of dense black sooty mould on leaves over the honeydew excreted by the
pest reduces the photosynthetic efficiency of the plants as well as pollutes entire
mulberry garden in case of severe infestation
Management practices

• Clipping off the infested twigs and leaves and burning during early stage of
infestation is the best method of eradication of the pest.
• All crop residues in the infested garden harbouring mealybug populations
should be removed and burnt.
• Water jetting involves physical force which hits on the infested plant parts to
dislodge and washout the insects

 Release of exotic parasitoids

• Acerophagus papayae or

• Pseudleptomastix mexicana

@ 250 parasitoids / acre of mulberry garden.

3.MULBERRY THRIPS

Pseudodendrothrips mori (Niwa) and Pseudodendrothrips bhattii

Thrips, Pseudodendrothrips mori, is a major pest in Tamil Nadu and minor pest in Karnataka
& Andhra Pradesh.

• Phylum: Arthropoda
• Class: Insecta
• Order: Thysanoptera
• Family: Thripidae
• Genus: Pseudodendrothrips
• Species: mori.

• The thrips infestation is more in MR-2 Mulberry variety

Occurrence

• It occurs throughout the year and severe during summer (February - April).

Damage and symptoms

• Nymphs and adults are found mainly on the underside of the leaf.
• They pierce the epidermis of mulberry leaves using their lacerating mouthparts
and extract the plant sap.
• During laceration, they secrete saliva which coagulates the sap resulting in the
formation of white streaks in the early stage followed by silvery blotches which
are mixed with small black spots of thrips faeces.
 • This symptom helps in distinguishing damage by P. mori from that caused by
other mulberry pests.

• As the leaf tissue dries beneath the epidermis the silvery patches turn brown and
become depressed.

• In acute cases serious drying of the leaf tissues results in leaf curl and these leaves
shrink harden and ultimately fall.

• Stunting, leaf curling and deformation are also observed in severely affected
gardens.

Management practices

• Mulberry field should be thoroughly cleaned after harvest by removing small side
branches, dead leaves and weeds in order to eliminate any developmental stages of
thrips on them.
• Periodical ploughing and digging of mulberry field helps in exposing the thrips pupae
to hot sun and natural enemies.
• Water jetting or sprinkler irrigation is effective in reducing thrips population.
• Providing frequent irrigation helps in increasing the pupal mortality in soil thereby
reducing the thrips emergence.
• Spray of 0.1% Dimethoate 30% EC (3ml/litre) 15 days after pruning. Safe period is 20-
25 days.
• Release of S. coccivora @ 500 adults or Chrysoperla @ 1000 eggs / acre, a week after
the insecticide spray.

4.SPIRALLING WHITEFLY

Aleurodicus dispersus

• The eggs are laid along with deposit of waxy secretion is a characteristic spiraling
pattern, hence the name 'spiralling whitefly'.

Occurrence

• It is found to cause damage throughout the year with peak incidence during
summer(Mar-Jun and Oct-Dec.)

• Favourable climatic conditions are: prolonged dry spell followed by hot humid
condition.

Damage and symptoms

• Both nymph and adult remains on ventral surface of leaves in colonies

• Suck the plant sap from the leaf through a slender stylet
• leaf curling,
• chlorosis,
 • defoliation
• stunted growth.
• The honeydew excreted by these insects will fall on the upper surface of the lower
leaves which becomes a medium for developing sooty mould fungus, Capnodium sp.
Management practices

• Remove and destroy the infested leaves and install yellow sticky traps @ 75 per
acre.
• Spray of a strong jet of water in the affected mulberry garden will help to reduce
the pest population
• Follow recommended spacing and optimum fertilizer dosage.
• Removal of alternate weeds ( papaya, banana, sweet potato, cassava, avocado,
guava, citrus, capsicum, brinjal, tomato, pepper, rose, hibiscus, coconut, etc. )
• Spray 0.05% Dimethoate 30% EC (1.5 ml/litre) about 15 days after pruning and
second spray with 0.15% DDVP 76% EC (2 ml/litre), one week after first spray
(safe period 20-25 days).
• Release S. coccivora @ 500 adults or Chrysoperla @ 1000 eggs / acre, a week
after the insecticides spray.
• Two parasitoids namely Encarsia quadeloupae and Encarsia haitiensis are known
to parasitise A. dispersus in India.

5. JASSIDS
Empoasca flavescens

Taxonomic position

• Phylum: Arthropoda;
• Class: Insecta;
• Order: Hemiptera;
• Family: Cicadellidae;
• Genus: Empoasca;
• Species: flavescens

• It is minor pest

• Jassids is also known as Leaf Hopper

Occurrence

• Incidence is severe during summer

Damage and symptoms

• Both nymphs and adults damage the plant by sucking the sap of young leaves and
tender shoots.

• At the time of sucking cell sap inject toxins in to the plant tissues.
 • The early symptoms are the appearance of yellow or brown patches at the margin of
the leaves followed by distortion of leaf veins.

• Finally, leaves curl upward becoming cup shaped, margins turn brown, dry and wither
off prematurely.

• This characteristic symptom is known as “Hopper burn”.

Management practices

• Set up light traps and yellow sticky traps to destroy adult population.

• Sprinkler irrigation is effective in controlling the pest.

• Spray neem oil (3%) with fish oil rosin soap (2%). Safe period is 10-12 days.

• Cultivation of cluster bean, cowpea, black gram or groundnut as intercrops in

mulberry encourage to buildup natural enemies like coccinellids and spiders.

• Spray 0.1% Dimethoate 30% EC (3ml/litre). Safe period is 25 days.

6. SCALE INSECT
Black scale insect, Saissetia nigra
Soft scale insect, Megapulvinaria maxima

• Phylum: Arthropoda
• Class: Insecta
• Order:Hemiptera;
• Family: Coccidae
• Genus:Saissetia
• Species: nigra.
•
Occurrence

• Though it is a minor pest, occurs throughout the year, but severe during summer
months

Damage and symptoms

• Both nymphs and adults suck the plant sap from the leaf as well as apical tender stem
portion.

• Feeding results in yellowing of leaves, stunted growth of plants and affected shoots
start drying from the distal end.

• The pest excrete copious amount of honey dew on which sooty moulds develop.

• In case of severe infestation - black sooty moulds

 • The movement of ants can also be noticed on the infested plants.

Management practices

• Scrape the stem with the help of wooden plate to dislodge the insect.

• Swabbing the affected stem with diesel oil and soap emulsion (1:3 ratio) to dislodge
the insect.

• Cutting and burning of infested plant parts.

• Spray strong jet of water to washout the crawlers and clean the sooty moulds.

• Spray 0.05% Dimethoate 30% EC (1.5 ml/litre) or 0.15% DDVP 76% EC (2

ml/litre). Safe period 12 & 15 days respectively.

SOFT SCALE INSECT,

Megapulvinaria maxima (Green)

• It is more prevalent in hilly regions.

Damage and symptoms

• Soft scale insect infests both leaves and twigs.

• Infestation of M. maxima can easily be identified by the presence of white scabs on

the leaves and twigs.

• Nymphs and adult females ingest the plant sap, which causes depletion of nutrient
value of the leaves.

• A large amount of honeydew secreted by the pest invites fungal growth and
development of black sooty mould on the leaf surface

DEFOLIATORS(LEAF EATING PEST)

1.LEAF WEBBER

Diaphania pulverulentalis

Taxonomic position

• Phylum: Arthropoda

• Class: Insecta

• Order: Lepidoptera

• Family: Pyralidae
 • Genus: Diaphania

• Species: pulverulentalis

• It is a major defoliator pest known to cause extensive damage to mulberry in

Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Occurrence

 The infestation is observed on the onset of monsoon i.e. from June and lasts up to
February.

 Peak period of infestation is September to November

Damage and symptoms

 The infestation is observed in mulberry plantations from 12 days through 70 days

after pruning.

 The target area of the leaf webber is the apical portion of the mulberry shoot.

 The larva binds mulberry leaf blades in tender shoot portion by silken thread hide
inside and devours the soft green tissues of the leaf surface.

 The grown up caterpillers disperse away from the web and feed on entire mulberry
leaves

 The larva binds mulberry leaf blades by silken thread.

 Feacal matters seen on upper surface of lower leaves

Management practices

 Clip off infested portion along with the larva into polythene bag and destroy by
burning or dipping in 0.5% soap solution (5 g of soap in 1 litre of water).

 Collect and burn the dry leaves to destroy pupae.

 Install light traps @ 1-2 trap/acre to attract adult moths and destroy them.

 Plant dry sticks in all the sides of the garden to attract birds which feed on the larvae.

 Deep ploughing exposes pupae to sun light and natural enemies.

 Flood irrigation help to kill pupae.

 Spray 0.076% DDVP 76% EC (1 ml / litre ) 12 to 15 days after pruning or leaf

harvest. safe period is 15 days.

 Release Trichogramma chilonis egg th parasitoids from 5 day after chemical spray @
1 Trichocard /acre / week for 4 weeks.
  Release of larval parasitoid Bracon brevicornis@ 200 adult wasps.

 Release pupal parasitoid Tetrastichus howardii @ 1 pouch /ac. After the release of
these parasitoids, no insecticides should be sprayed in the garden.

2.BIHAR HAIRY CATERPILLAR

Spilosoma obliqua

 Taxonomic position
 Phylum: Arthropoda
 Class: Insecta
 Order: Lepidoptera
 Family: Arctiidae
 Genus: Spilosoma
 Species : obliqua.
 It is a polyphagous pest with a wide host range.

Occurrence

 Incidence of Bihar hairy caterpillar, S. obliqua in mulberry starts with the onset of
monsoon. It occurs throughout the year in certain pockets

Damage and symptoms

 Early instars are gregarious and hundreds of them are seen on ventral surface of single
leaf

 Gregarious young caterpillars feed upon the chlorophyll layer mostly on the under
surface and skeletonize the leaves.

 However, late age caterpillars are voracious feeders, consume entire leaf and cause
loss by way of defoliation.

 In severe cases, only stems are left behind.

Management practices

 Collect the egg masses, caterpillars, affected leaves and destroy them by dipping in
0.5% soap solution or by burning.

 Follow deep ploughing or digging so as to expose the pupae present in the soil to
predatory birds and scorching sun.

 Flood irrigation also helps in destroying the pupae in the soil.

 Install light traps to attract and kill the adult moths.

 Avoid migration of caterpillars by preparing trenches around the mulberry plots

  Spray of 0.1% Dimethoate 30 % EC (safe period 20 days) or 0.15% DDVP 76% EC
20 days after pruning (safe period15 days).

 Release T. chilonis @ 4 cards per acre, a week after the spray of insecticide.

 Do not spray any insecticide after the release of parasitoids

3.WINGLESS GRASSHOPPER

Neorthacris acuticeps

Occurrence

 Incidence of this pest coincides with onset of monsoon and continues till post
monsoon periods.

Damage and symptoms

 Both nymphs and adults feed voraciously on sprouting buds and leaves of mulberry.

 Sometimes, they also feed on green bark of affected plants.

 Branches of plants without leaves are observed in the mulberry garden in case of
severe incidence.

Management practices

 During early morning hours, they are less active and hence can be collected and
destroyed.

 Deep ploughing immediately after the onset of monsoon to expose egg masses to
sunlight and predators.

 Field sanitation by keeping mulberry garden free from weeds which serves as
alternate host plants.

 Spray 0.076% DDVP 76 % EC (1 ml/ litre) on mulberry foliage to kill the nymphs
and adults.

 If infestation is severe, need second spray, 10 days after first spray. Safe period is 15
days.

4.CUTWORM

Spodoptera litura

 Cutworm is a polyphagous pest with a wide host range.

Occurrence

 The cutworm incidence occurs from August to February, mainly in winter season.
Damage and symptoms

 The caterpillars attack shoots of young mulberry plants and cut them, hence the name
cutworm.

 The cut portion of the shoot dries up and falls off.

 They also feed on mulberry leaves voraciously.

 In heavily infested mulberry gardens, the plants are seen without branches and
sometimes with dried leaves.

Management Practices

 Collect and destroy egg masses and young caterpillars.

 Plough infested garden and dig near the base of mulberry plants to expose the pupae
present in the soil to sunlight and predators.

 Install light traps to attract and kill the adult moths.

 Use Spodolure, a pheromone trap @ 2 lures/acre twice at an interval of 15 days from

25th day after pruning to attract and kill male moths

 Spray 0.15% DDVP 76% EC (2 ml/litre) during evening hours, 20 days after
pruning. Safe period is 15 days.

 The release of the egg parasitoid, T. chilonis is most promising.

5.MAY-JUNE BEETLE

Holotrichia serrata

 May-June beetles are also known as cock chafer beetles or root grubs or white grubs.

Occurrence

 Their infestation coincides with the onset of monsoon and an occasional pest to
mulberry crop in south India.

Damage and symptoms

 The early hatched grubs initially feed on organic matter and later start feeding on
roots or rootlets thereby causing damage to the host plants.

 The adult beetles are observed feeding on the foliage.

 During night time, adult beetles enter into mulberry garden in swarms and feed
voraciously on the foliage, leaving only the stem portion.

 It appears as cow grazing and lot of small black faecal pellets appear below the plants.
Management practices

 Collect them and destroy by putting in kerosene solution.

 Installation of light trap and collection of adult beetles during night in kerosene
mixed water.

 Tying up of few fresh neem branches (with leaves) to mulberry plants in different
parts of the garden to attract the adults followed by their collection and destruction.

 Ploughing just before monsoon helps in exposure of various stages of the pest to
natural enemies.

 Spray 0.2% DDVP76% EC (2.5 ml/litre) with a safe period of 15 days preferably
during evening hours.

 Drench the soil with 0 . 2 % Chlorpyriphos 20% EC to kill the grubs.

6.GREEN WEEVIL

Myllocerus viridanus

Occurrence

 The weevils are found throughout the year but, more prevalent during summer season.

Damage and symptoms

• Adults feed on leaves and buds whereas the grubs feed on the underground parts of
plant.

• In case of severe attack plants wilt and dry up.

• Irregular serrated margin on the leaves are observed from the feeding by adults.

Management practices

• Ploughing helps in exposing all the life stages of weevils to scorching sun and natural
enemies mainly the birds.

• Flood irrigation immediately after digging or ploughing helps in killing the eggs,
grubs and the pupae.

• Apply Neem cake @ 500 kg/ha at the time of pruning of mulberry plants.

• Soil drenching with Chlorpyriphos 20% EC (2ml/litre) at the root zone help in
reducing their population as well as damage.

• Mulberry garden should be kept weed free.

1. Wasp moth, Amata passalis

 2. Noctuid moth, Tiracola sp.

3. Moringa hairy caterpillar, Eupterote mollifera

4. Tussock caterpillar, Euproctis 14raternal

STEM BORERS

1.STEM GIRDLER,

Sthenias grisator

 Taxonomic position

 Phylum: Arthropoda

 Class: Insecta

 Order: Coleoptera

 Family: Cerambycidae

 Genus: Sthenias

 Species: grisator

Occurrence

 It is noticed throughout the year.

Damage and symptoms

 Girdling of the young or green stem and subsequent wilting are the main symptoms of
infestation.

 Such stems get dried up which enable the grubs to tunnel into the dry wood. Such
affected branches will die soon.

Management Practices

 Cutting and burning of affected branches.

 Swab the trunk and branches with a paste of 0.1% malathion 50% EC to avoid egg
laying

1. Mulberry longhorn beetle, Apriona germari

2. Mango stem borer, Batocera rufomaculata
3. Shoot borer, Oberea artocarpi
4. Bark borer, Inderbela quadrinotata
 SOIL INHABITING INSECT PEST

1.TERMITE

• Taxonomic position
• Phylum: Arthropoda
• Class: Insecta
• Order: Isoptera
• Family: Termitidae
• Genus: Odontotermes
Occurrence

• They occur when rain recede or from October onwards and continues till the onset of
monsoon rains.

Damage and symptoms

• Termite damage is mainly observed in rainfed gardens.

• In mulberry nursery and new plantation, they attack below ground portion.

• They feed on the bark and hard wood.

• Hence, cuttings dry up and no sprouting takes place.

• In old plantations, they first infest the dry twigs.

• Later they slowly move to live twigs.

• They form foraging galleries inside the main stem and extending below the ground.

• Thus they affect the sprouting buds.

Management practices

• Remove the dead and dried twigs and leaves.

• Flood irrigation help in keeping termites away.

• Locate the termite mounds if any nearby mulberry gardens and destroy by breaking
mounds and kill the queen. When once the queen is killed or destroyed the colony
gets abandoned by them.

• Prepare a solution of Chlorpyriphos 20% EC @ 3ml/litre and pour into the mound
followed by closing the mound hole with wet earth.

• In established plantation, soil drenching with 0.1% Chlorpyriphos 20% EC to be

practiced.

• Treat the mulberry cuttings with 0.1% Chlorpyriphos 20 % EC solution before

planting.
 NON INSECT PESTS

1.GIANT AFRICAN SNAIL

Achatina fulica

Occurrence

• Though snail activity is noticed from August to January (mostly during rainy season),
their incidence is severe from October to December.

Damage and symptoms

• Giant African snails feed on tender leaves, tender bark & stem and cause damage.

• The infested leaves show circular holes in the centre.

• Such damage results in stunted growth of mulberry besides leaf yield loss.

• The presence of mucus like substance on the leaves is observed which is secreted by
the pest

Management practices

• Hand pick different stages of snails and destroy by burning or immersing in 25% salt
solution (1 kg salt in 4 litre of water).

• During rainy season, in the evening hours heaps of wet gunny sacks or papaya stem
waste may be placed near the hide outs in the mulberry garden.

• Next day morning the snails hiding below these may be col lected and destroyed by
immersing in salt solution.

• Regularly remove the debris and unnecessary waste materials from the garden and
maintain cleanliness to avoid snail population build up.

• Deep ploughing helps in exposing snails and their egg masses present in the soil to
their natural enemies.

• Use bran bait (Rice bran, jaggery & Methomyl @ 60:6:1 ratio) to attract and kill the
snails.

• Snail-kill (2.5% Metaldehyde) pellets may be spread in mulberry garden in alternate

rows (2 to 3 pellets per spot) during evening hours in rainy season or after irrigation.
Next day collect the dead snails available near these pellets and destroy.

• About 2 kg Metaldehyde pellets are required per acre of mulberry garden.

Metaldehyde is found to be non-toxic to silkworms.
 2.BLACK SLUG

Laevicaulis alte

Occurrence

• The slugs occur mostly during rainy & winter seasons and also common in mulberry
gardens situated nearby canals and swamps.

Damage and symptoms

▪ Presence of mucus on plant parts affects the quality of foliage.

▪ Presence of shot holes on leaves caused due to feeding by slugs.

• Drying of shoots due to scraping of bark of the stems.

Management practices

• Soil application of lime powder (20kg/ac) dehydrates the slug and brings about
mortality.

3.RED SPIDER MITE

Tetranychus ludeni

• Taxonomic position
• Phylum : Arthropoda
• Class: Prostigmatta
• Order: Acarina
• Family: Tetranychidae;
• Genus: Tetranychus
• Species: ludeni.

Occurrence

• Although mites occur throughout the year, their incidence is severe during summer
months

Damage and symptoms

• Both nymphs and adults cause similar type of damage.

• They suck the plant sap by piercing their stylet mouth parts into the tissue.

• The affected plant part turns greyish white and finally withers.

• Infested leaves also show white speckles at the place of feeding which later turns into
large patches.
 • The undersurface of infested leaves show silken thread spun across them under which
they crawl and also lay eggs.

Management practices

• Clip off affected portion and destroy by burning.

• Use sprinkler irrigation to dislodge the population.

• Spray 0.5% Formathion (safe period 25 days).

 LIFE CYCLE OF SILKWORM AND CLASSIFICATION OF SILKWORM BREEDS

• Holometabola (Complete metamorphosis) :

• Silkworm during its life cycle under goes different stages viz., egg, larva, pupa and
adult.
Larva

• Larvae of silkworm is called caterpillar and is different from adult

• Newly hatched silkworms are called as Chawki (India), Ants (China) and Kego
(Japan)
• Compound eyes are absent in larva
• Lateral ocelli or stemmata are the visual organs
• Their mouth parts and food habit differ from adults
• When the larval growth is completed, it transforms into pupa
Pupa

• It is non-feeding stage
• During the transitional stage, the larval characters are destroyed and new adult
characters are appeared
Adult moth

• Moths don’t feed

• It is having short life span

Factors affecting the life cycle of Silkworm

The duration of each stage varies

• Breeds of silkworm : a) Multivoltine

 b) Bivoltine
c) Univoltine
• Climatic conditions: a) Temperature
b)Humidity

• The quality of mulberry leaf which is fed to silkworm influences the disease incidence
in silkworm
• Pest incidence

Duration of different stages in the life cycle of mulberry silkworm

Stage Multivoltine/polyvoltine breeds Uni/biovoltine

breeds
Egg 9-12 days 11- 14 days
Larva 20-24 days 24-28 days
Pupa 10-12 days 12-15 days
Adult 03-04 days 06-10 days
Total 42-52 days 53- 67 days

Duration of different instars and moults of silkworm

Multivoltine breeds Bivoltine breeds

Duration Temp. & Duration Temp. &

Instar/Moult Humidity Humidity

I instar 3 days 3 days

I moult 20 hrs 20 hrs

27 ˚C
II instar 2 days 2 days 85 %
27 ˚C
II moult 20hrs 80-85 % 20 hrs

III instar 3days 3 days 25 ˚C

30 %
III moult 1 day 1 day

IV instar 4day 25-26 ˚C 5 days 22-24 ˚C

IV moult 1 day 70-80 % 1 day 75 %

V instar 6-7 days 9-10 days, 20-23 ˚C

70 %
Total 22-23 days 26-27 days

❖ The longest larval duration is found in Pure Mysore races (26-27 days but it may
extend in winter season )
❖ Shortest larval duration – Second instar
❖ Longest larval duration – Fifth instar
❖ Early instar silkworms are resistant to high temp. & Humidity
 Life cycle of silkworm

Morphology of Silkworm Egg

• The size, weight, shape, colour of the egg as well as number per laying vary among
different strains.
• There are 2000 eggs per gram
• The silkworm eggs measure 1 to 1.3 mm in length and 0.9 to 1.2 mm in width.
• The Eggs are tiny ovoid, ellipsoid or oval and flat on one side this is called egg
dimple
• Freshly laid eggs yellowish in colour and later changes depending upon the breed
• Multivoltine eggs are darker than eggs of bivoltine
• Bi/ Uni-voltine eggs unde go hibernation turn to browm colour within 24 hr after
ovposition
• Pin head stage: The dark pigmentation occurs in the head region and appears like a
small black spot on 8th day after oviposition i.e, two days before hatching. It is also
called as eye spot stage.
• Blue egg stage : The pigments appears on entire embryo so that egg look like light
blue through chorion on 9th day after oviposition i.e, one days before hatching. It is
also called as body pigmentation stage.
• The protective covering of the egg is chorion
• There are two membranes beneath the chorion i. e., the serosa and vitelline membrane
• An opening Micropyle is present at the anterior end where the sperm enters through
this opening
• The respiratory canals are distributed in large numbers over the entire surface of the
egg and these are funnel shaped. The air necessary for respiration enters through these
respiratory canals
• The egg is centralecithal.
• The semi fluid yolk is concentrated in the middle of the egg so that the cytoplasm is
pushed to the surface as a thin layer called periplasm
• Nucleus is situated in the centre of the polarplasm
 MORPHOLOGY OF SILKWORM LARVA

• The newly hatched silkworm is black or dark brown

• It has a large head and the body is densely covered with bristles
• There are four pairs of tubercles and each carries three to six setae located on The
subdorsal, Supra spiracular, Infra spiracular and on Basal tubercle
• As the larva grows, it moults and enters to later instars, the cuticle becomes smoother
and lighter in colour due to the rapid stretching of the cuticular skin and shedding of
setae takes place and tubercles become less prominent
• Larvae is Eruciform
• It is divided into head, thorax and abdomen.

HEAD

▪ Head is hypognathous, formed by 6 highly fused embryonic segments

▪ The second, fourth, fifth and sixth segments carry appendages which are modified
into antennae, mandibles, maxillae and labium respectively.

▪ Median epicranial suture is well developed and prominent(Inverted Y shape)

▪ There is a pair of antennae formed of five jointed segments and six pairs of ocelli
or larval eyes present at the base of antenna

▪ Mouth part is Biting and chewing

▪ The mandibles are chitinized and well developed, act as a blades of scissors helps to
cut the mulberry leaves

▪ Maxillae has a basal portion made of two segments, the proximal cardo and distal
stipes. A maxillary lobe and 3 segmented maxillary palp are present on the stipes.
They help in discrimination of the taste of the food

▪ Labrum : it is an unsegmented projection of the ante clypeus forms the upper lip

▪ Labium: this is median organ forms the lower lip. The labium is located ventrally
carrying a big-sized, lightly chitinized mentum. The prementum is chitinized and
black. Distally the prementum carries a median process or spinneret through which
silk is expelled from the silk gland to form the silk bave or thread. The sensory labial
palpi are found on both sides of the spinneret
 Mouth parts of silkworm larva

Thorax

• The thorax consists of three body segments called as pro, meso and meta thorax.
• Each of these thoracic segments carries ventrally a pair of legs each comprising in
turn three jointed segments.
• These are the true legs which are conical in shape and carry sharp distal claws.
• These claws are not used for crawling but for holding mulberry leaves while
feeding.
• All the silkworm larvae that show body larval markings carry the so-called eye
spot on the dorsal side of the mesothorax.
• One pair of spiracles is present in prothorax

Abdomen

• The abdomen is comprised of eleven body segments although only nine can be
distinguished as the last three are fused together to form the apparent ninth
segment, the anal plate and the caudal legs.
• The third to sixth and the last abdominal segments each bear a pair of abdominal
legs which are fleshy, unjointed muscular protuberances. At the extremity they
form a sort of disc with a series of hooks inwardly curved and arranged in a
semicircle.
• On the dorsal side of the eighth abdominal segment, the larva carries the caudal
horn.
• The crescents (Lunules) present on dorasal side of 2nd abdominal segment
• The star spot present on dorasal side of 5th abdominal segment
• The abdominal segments carry the sexual markings which develop distinctly in
the fourth and fifth instars in the eighth and ninth segments on the ventral side.
• In the female the sexual markings appear as a pair of milky white spots in each of
the eighth and ninth segments.
• The pair of spots on the eight segments is known as Ishiwata's fore glands and the
pair on the ninth segment is referred as Ishiwata's hind glands.
• In the male a small milky white body (Herold's gland) appears at the centre of the
ventral side between the eighth and ninth segments.
• There are nine pairs of spiracles placed laterally on either side of the body. They
are found on the first thoracic segment and the first eight abdominal segments.
These are the breathing or respiration pores.
• The larval skin or integument consists of the cuticle and the hypodermis. The
cuticle is made of chitin as well as protein and is covered with a thin layer of wax.

MORPHOLOGY OF SILKWORM PUPA

• The pupal stage is generally called the resting, inactive stage of the silkworm
when it is incapable of feeding and appears quiescent.
• The pupal stage is a transitional phase during which definite changes take place.
• During this period of biological activity the larval body and its internal organs
undergo a complete change and assume the new form of the adult moth.
• The mature silkworm larva passes through a short transitory stage of pre-pupa
before becoming a pupa.
• During the pre-pupal stage the dissolution of the larval organs takes place and this
is followed by the formation of adult organs during the pupal stage.
• Soon after pupation the pupa is white in colour and soft but gradually turns brown
to dark brown and the pupal skin becomes harder.
Head:

• a pair of large compound eyes, a pair of large antennae and vestigial mouth part
 Thorax :

• Two pair of wing pads and three pairs of limb buds

Abdomen :

• 10 segments are present only 9 segments are visible dorsally

• Seven spiracle are present from first seven abdominal segment.( Last pair is non
functional)
• Sex markings are prominent and it is much easier to determine sex in the pupal
stage than in the larval stage. The female has a fine longitudinal line (X shape) on
the eighth abdominal segment, whereas such a marking is absent in the case of the
male but having dot like structure.

MORPHOLOGY OF SILK MOTH

➢ Moths are dull white in colour with a wingspan of 3 to 4 cm. body is covered with
scales

➢ Head: There is a pair of dark compound eyes and bipectinate antennae.

Mouthparts are siphoning type with a vestigial proboscis

➢ Thorax: It consists of three clear segments- prothorax, mesothorax and

metathorax. Each segment bears a pair of long jointed legs ventrally and meso and
metathorax each bears a pair of wings dorsolaterally.

➢ Abdomen: It is composed of 10 segments (Male-8, female- 7 visible)with 6 pairs of

functional spiracles and also bears external genitalia on the terminal segment.

➢ There is a pair of fleshy, yellow flap-like structures called ‘labin’ in female, while in
males there are two dark hook –like structures called ‘harpes’.

Difference between Male and Female Silk Moth

• Morphologically the female and male can be easily distinguished in the adult stage.
The female has comparatively smaller antennae, its body and the abdomen are fatter
and larger and it is generally less active than the male moth.
• At the caudal end, the male moth has a pair of hooks known as harpens where as
female moth has a knob-like projection with sensory hairs.
 • These differences help to a large extent in separating the sexes for preparation of
hybrid eggs.

Male
Female
moth
moth

Morphology of Silk Moth

 CLASSIFICATION OF MULBERRY SILKWORM

❖ Voltinism is a term used in biology to indicate the number of broods or generations of

an organism in a year.

I. Based on Voltinism silkworms are classified into

• UNIVOLTINE RACES
• BIVOLTINE RACES
• MULTIVOLTINE RACES

UNIVOLTINE RACES

• They produce ONE generation per year.

• The larval weight is comparatively higher and cocoons are heavy.
• They are not suitable for summer & winter rearings, since the larvae are weak
against unfavourable conditions especially to higher temperature.
• They are reared in spring season
• They lay only diapausing eggs.
• All European races are univoltines eg., E16

BIVOLTINE RACES

• They produce TWO generations per year

• The length of the larval stage is short
• Larvae are robust and not tolerate fluctuating environmental conditions
• The quality of the cocoons inferior to that of Univoltine races
• Most of the temperate races are bivoltines
• They lay hibernating eggs
• eg., NB4D2, NB18, KA, NB7 etc.,
 MULTIVOLTINE RACES

• They produce more than 5-6 generations per year

• The length of the larval duration is short
• In most of the polyvoltine races the cocoons are compact grained and cocoon layer
is soft
• The larvae are robust and can tolerate fluctuating environmental conditions and
hence best suited for tropical climates
• They are well adopted in tropical condition
• They lay only non diapausing eggs
• Eg., Pure Mysore, C.nichi, Hosa Mysore.

II. Based on the number of larval moults, silkworms are classified into

❖ Periodical process of shedding the old cuticle accompanied by the formation of new
cuticle is known as moulting or ecdysis

• TRIMOULTERS
• TETRAMOULTERS
• PENTAMOULTERS
TRIMOULTERS

• This group includes silkworms which moult three times during larval period
• The larval growth is limited, the larval duration short ranging from 15-18 days
• Pupae & moths are small, cocoon weight is less

TETRAMOULTERS

• This group moults four times during their larval stage

• The length of the larval stage is medium ranging from 23-28 days
• The larval growth and cocoon weight is medium
• The commercially exploited races are tetramoulters
•
PENTAMOULTERS

• This moults five times during their larval stage.

• The length of the larval stage is longer than Tri and Tetra- moulters,
• The larval weight is high and cocoons are heavy
III. BASED ON PLACE OF ORIGIN

Charcater Japanese Race Chinese Race European Races Indian Races

Voltinism Uni/Bivoltine Uni/Bi/Multi Univoltine Multivoltine

voltine

Fecundity High High High Low

Egg size 1.3× 1.01 mm 1.29× 1.07 mm 1.43× 1.18 mm 0.6×0.5 mm

Colour Pale yellow Green Slate Purpleish- Yellow

Larval Size Small Large Large Small

Health Robust Robust Weak Robust

Larval Long Short Long Short

Duration

Cocoon size Large Large Large Small

Cocoon colour Green yellow white White, golden Flesh coloured or Green yellow
yellow, Flesh white white
coloured or red

Cocoon shape Strangulated/Peanut Ellipsoid, Little Ellipsoid

shaped Spherical/ Spindle Strangulation

IV. Indigenous Pure Races of India

• Most of the indigenous races have become extent, a few have degenerated
• One or two indigenous races are still dominate commercial rearing inspite o the
availability of superior hybrid races
• Univoltine, Bivoltine or Multivoltine
• Indigenous races often form the female parent for commercial hybrids

Race Voltinism Place Cocoon character

1 Kashmir Race Univoltine Kashmir White, oval/dumb-bell

2 Borapalu univoltine West Bengal Grreenish white
(extinct)

3 C- nichi * Bivoltine Mysore White, dumb-bell

4 Chotopolu Multivoltine West Bengal Spindle shaped, yellowish or

(Extinct) creamish white

5 Lamarine Multivoltine Manipur Elongated oval, yellowish

orange
6 Nistari multivoltine West Bengal Spindle shaped, flossy,
(from china1881) golden yellow

7 Pure Mysore Multivoltine Karnataka Spindle shaped, flossy,

(from china1881) greenish yellow

8 Sarupat Multivoltine Assam Spindle shaped, flossy, light

creamy

9 Moria Multivoltine Assam Spindle shaped, flossy, light

creamy

C- nichi :It was originally a bivoltine race of Japan introduced to India. Because of
continuous rearing, has become polyvoltine nature

V. Commercially exploited silkworm hybrids of India

Sl.No Hybrids Voltinism Area/Season

Developed by CSR& TI Mysuru

1 KA×NB4D2 Bi V× Bi V Favourable months

(August to February)
2 NB7 ×NB18 Bi V× Bi V

3 MY1 ×NB18 Multi × Bi All season (Irrigated)

4 BL24×NB4D2 Multi ×Bi All season (Irrigated)

 5 BL23 ×NB4D2 Multi × Bi All season
(Rainfed area)

6 BL43 ×NB4D2 (Kapila) Multi× Bi All season

7 PM ×CSR8 (SL) Multi × Bi All season

8 BL67 ×CSR101 (Cavery) Multi× Bi All season

Irrigated area

9 Bl24× C nichi (Varuna) Multi × Bi All season

(Rainfed area)
10 PM ×CSR2 (Kolar gold)* Multi × Bi All season

Sl.No Hybrids Voltinism Area/Season

Developed by CSR&TI Mysuru

11 CSR2 ×CSR4 * Bi V× Bi V Favourable

season
12 CSR2 ×CSR5 Bi V× Bi V (August to
February)
13 CSR3× CSR6 Bi V× Bi V

14 CSR12× CSR6 Bi V× Bi V

15 CSR16 ×CSR17 Bi V× Bi V

16 CSR18 ×CSR19 Bi V× Bi V All season

(Summer)

CSR 50 ×CSR51 Chamaraja Bi V× Bi V Tolerant to high

temp.
environment

Developed by KSSR & DI

17 KSO1×SP2 Bi V× Bi V All season

 Developed by APSSRDI Hindupura

18 Swarnandra Multi Bi All season

19 Hemavathi Bi V× Bi V Favourable
months
20 Kalpataru Bi V× Bi V (August to
February)

Sl.No Hybrids Voltinism Cocoon

characteristics

1 FC1 (CSR6 ×CSR26) Bi V× Bi V White dumbell shape

2 FC2 (CSR2 ×CSR27) Bi V× Bi V White cocoon oval

shape

3 Krishnaraja (Double hybrids) Bi V× Bi V White colour

(CSR2 ×CSR27) ×(CSR6 ×CSR26)

❖ Nandi, CSR18×CSR19 and CSR 8 are sex limited breeds

COMMERCIALLY EXPLOITED BREEDS OF SILKWORM

Cocoon shape Eggs/laying Cocoon filament

Breed Voltinism
and colour (Fecundity) Length (m)

Kalimpong-A Bivoltine Oval, white 400-450 1000-1400

NB7 Bivoltine -do- 400-450 1000-1500
NB4D2 Bivoltine Peanut, white 400-450 1000-1200
NB18 Bivoltine -do- 400-450 1000-1500
C-nichi Multivoltine -do- 350-400 500-600
Nandi Bivoltine -do- 400-450 1000-1200
Pure Mysore Multivoltine Spindle, yellow 350-400 300-400
Hosa Mysore Multivoltine Oval, yellow 350-400 350-450
MY1 Multivoltine Oval, Golden 350-400 350-450
MH1 Multivoltine Yellow, Spindle 350-400 500-550
Nistari Multivoltine Spindle, Yellow 350-400 300-350

BL24 Multivoltine Spindle, Yellow 350-400 400-450

SLKSPM Multivoltine Spindle, Yellow 350-400 400-450
CSR2 Bivoltine Oval, white 450-500 800-900
CSR4 Bivoltine Dumbbell, White 450-500 800-900
CSR5 Bivoltine Dumbbell, White 450-500 800-900
CSR6 Bivoltine Dumbbell, White 400-450 400-450
NP2 Bivoltine Dumbbell, White 350-400 350-400
 Moulting and Mounting of silkworm

Moulting

 During larval period, the larva casts of its skin four times, the process is called as
moulting
 Moulting duration ranges from 20 to 36 hours

Characteristics of moulting larvae

1. Larvae settling for moult (larvae preparing for moult)

 Body becomes stout and shiny

 Head appears small and dark in relation to its body size
 Reduced feeding rate
 Appearance of tight skin
 Frequent raising of head and thorax

2. Larva at moult

 Body becomes transparent with tight skin

 Head is small
 Feeding is completely stopped
 No movement in worms, sit at a place by raising head and thorax
 Appearance of brownish triangular patch between head and prothorax

3. Larvae out of moult

 Larval body will have rusty colour

 Head is pale brown and bigger than the previous instars
 Worms become very active
 Worms are less shiny and have loose wrinkled skin

Care during Moulting

 Remove paraffin paper (Chawki silkworm)

 Spread the bed and increase the space
 Stop feeding
 Unsettled worms should be separated and rejected before dusting lime
 Dust thin layer of lime at the rate of 3g/sq.ft to increase dryness in the rearing bed
 When more than 95 % of larvae out of moult Vijetha / Ankush to be dusted, after half
an feeding is resumed

1
Feeding of silkworm

 Chopped leaf should be fed to the first three instars

 The size of the chopped leaf bits depends on the age of the silkworm
 Rearing of young age worms on shoot lets is also gaining popularity

Age (instar) Size of leaf

I 0.5-2.0 cm2

II 2-4.0 cm2

III 4 -6.0cm2

IV Entire leaves (un chopped)

V Entire leaves (un chopped)

 Multi ×Bivoltine hybrid -700- 750 kg leaves/ 100 DFL’s

 Bi×Bivoltine hybrid- 850-900 kg leaves/100 DFL’S

Care to be taken during feeding of silkworm

a. Avoid over feeding

b. Providing proper ventilation in rearing rooms
c. Harvesting leaves only when fully mature
d. Proper bed cleaning
e. Allow the bed to dry up fully

SPACING IN REARING BED

 Spacing is another important aspect to which great care and attention should be given
 Silkworm is very fast growing and attains 10,000 fold increase in body weight and about
7,000 fold increase in body size during larval period
 Over crowded condition in the rearing bed leads to under nourishment and uneven
development of silkworm
 It increases accumulation of gases, heat and fermentation of faecal matter takes place,
worms don't feed freely on the fresh and good quality of leaves
 To avoid spread of the diseases

2
BED CLEANING SHEDULE

 Removal of the accumulated unfed mulberry leaves, faecal matter, exuvia, dead and
unhealthy worms from the rearing is bed cleaning.

Frequency of cleaning the rearing bed is as follows

 I Instar: Once when worms are preparing for moult

 II Instar: Twice, i.e., once just after the first moult; once when the
 worms are preparing for second moult
 III Instar: Thrice, i.e., once in second moult, once in middle and
 once just before settling for third moult
 IV Instar: Once a day
 V Instar: Once a day

In shoot feeding, the number of cleanings is reduced

MATURATION OF SILKWORMS/ SPINNING SILKWORM

 On sixth or seventh day of fifth instar, the silkworms show less appetite
 The faeces become softer and can be crushed with fingertips
 Few worms move their half of the body to front and back , keeping the caudal portion of
the body supported firmly with abdominal legs, searching for place to spin cocoon to the
periphery of the rearing bed

3
  In newly mature silkworm, the front part of the body looks little transparent

Mounting

 The process of transferring mature larvae to a suitable frame to spin cocoon is called
mounting
 It is desirable to have a separate mounting hall with good aeration for keeping the
mountages
 Mounting work requires the most intensive labour during a short period
 After mounting, larva takes 48 hours for complete spinning of cocoon depending on the
environmental conditions
 The protection of larvae for 3-4 days after mounting is necessary to harvest quality
cocoons
 In a mass rearing, when 40 % of the larvae show characteristics of spinning, all the
larvae can be collected and mounted

The following points to be remembered

 Mounting should not be delayed when larva get matured

 Mounting should be done in a place where it can be handled easily
 Mounting place should be kept dry with good ventilation

A mountage for good quality reelable cocoon should have the following features

 It should have sufficient cocooning space between frameworks

 Material should be cheap, durable and easily available,
 It should be convenient for the process of mounting and harvesting
 It should have efficient moisture absorbing capacity
 It should be easy for cleaning and storage
 It should be amenable for disinfection

Mounting Methods

Natural
Pick up Netting Jobarai
Mounti
Method Method Method
ng

4
1.Pick up Method

 The mature silkworm larvae are picked up by hand one by one and placed on a mountage
 Silkworms are mounted at the right time and is the most ideal method for getting quality
cocoons
 More labour requirement and economic loss

2. Natural Mounting

 This method of mounting is also called self mounting as it makes use of the negative
geotropic character of the mature silkworms, the tendency to climb up.
 When about 20 % of larvae get mature, mountages like plastic collapsible mountage,
bottle brush mountage and dried grass/ straw mountage are placed on the rearing bed.
 Labour can be saved and changing of mountage becomes convenient

3.Netting method

 When the considerable number of larvae get matured, straw rope mat or nets are placed
on the rearing bed and left for sometime
 When mature larvae crawl about on the net , the net with larvae lifted from the bed and
mounted on the mountages

4. Jobarai Method

 Shaking of few mulberry shoots to separate matured larvae from mulberry branches
 Shaking can also be done manually or by using machine
 Jobarai method is ideal for shoot rearing method and save 40 % labour.

Mounting Care

 Quality of cocoons mainly depends on the type of mountage and the care taken during
mounting
 The environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, and light intensity are
maintained to produce good quality cocoons
 The optimum temperature required for spinning cocoons is 25-27°C
 Humidity of 60-70% is considered ideal
 Dim light of 15 – 30 lux
 Good ventilation should be provided

5
1. Bamboo Chandrike

 It is the most commonly used mountage in India

 It is made up of bamboo spirals woven on a bamboo mat with two supporting bamboo
sticks.
 The mat is of size 1.8 x 1.2 m
 The spirals are made of bamboo tapes on mat base with 5-6 cm width
 Mature silkworms are transferred to the chandrike @ 40-50 worms per sq ft.
 After mounting, the chandrike is kept at a slanting back position of 45° to allow the urine
to fall on the ground and to prevent the staining of cocoons

2.Plastic Collapsible Mountage:

 These are also called as Netrikes

 It is made up of plastic mesh having 11 folds of 2.2" height and can be placed in a
wooden tray of size 2' x 3' for mounting the larvae
 It can be stored by folding
 Each mountage can hold 350-400 larvae for spinning
 Plastic collapsible mountage can also be used for self mounting
 It is easy for handling, requires less space for storage and help in maintaining hygienic
condition

3.Bottle Brush Mountages

 Different types of bottle brush mountages are available depending on the material used,
like plastic, bamboo and coconut broomstick
 It is a machine made plastic material with individual pieces
 Normally, 50 such individual pieces are joined together by an iron rod and at the end it
has an iron stopper
 Each bottle brush assembled is one meter long and can mount 350-400 larvae

4.Dried Grass/ Straw/ Mulberry Twigs Mountage

 When silkworm starts maturing, a thick layer of dried grass or straw is spread over the
rearing bed
 Mature larvae crawl through the bed on the mountage and spin cocoons
 For mounting 100 dfls of larvae, 80 m2 space is required
 This method is simple, labour saving and is ideal for shoot rearing method
 Formation of floss and deformed cocoons are more in this method

6
5.Rotary Card Board Mountage

 These are made of pieces of cardboard assembled in a checkered pattern consisting of 13

rows and 12 sections each providing a total mounting space of 156 sections of size 4.5 x
3 x 3 cm.
 Each mountage is 55 cm long, 40 cm wide and 3 cm deep and can be folded completely
when not in use.
 Ten mountages (8 cm) are fixed on a wooden rectangular frame using ten iron clamps on
each of the four sides.
 At both the ends, the longer and shorter axis are fixed and whole wooden frame is
hanged horizontally
 It can also revolve by the horizontal short axis. Hence, the name rotary mountage.
 Each mountage can hold 1,560 larvae for spinning, but only 80 % is allowed to mount,
i.e., about 1,300 larvae to provide sufficient spacing
 For mounting mature larvae on this mountage, first newspapers are spread on the floor
and then the mountage is kept horizontally on the newspaper
 Mature larvae are collected and transferred to the mountage
 After 4-5 hours, when the larvae climb on the mountage, it is lifted from the ground and
suspended from the ceiling using iron hooks
 Rotary mountages are the best among all the mountages as it provides uniform spacing
for all the larvae and avoid formation of double cocoons
 It provides good aeration during spinning and avoids staining of cocoons
 Occurrence of defective cocoons is minimum
 The major demerits are its high cost and non-availability of good quality card boards

Process of Spinning

 The mature larvae can connect two points of about 4 to 5 cm with silk to stretch the upper
body from front to rear and right to left for supporting their bodies with abdominal legs.
 The mature larvae can thus stretch silk to both sides when they are put in a space of 4 to 5
cm .
 These are used as footage first to support a cocoon made by a larva keeping the body at
around the centre.
 When a rough outline of the shape of cocoon is formed, the larva stretches the caudal end
to outside for discharging urine.
 Urine falls in several drops along with semi solid excreta.
 Single larva discharges about 0.5 ml of urine.
 Alterwards the larvae continue spinning silk until the end. S
 pinning direction is indefinite and is made in the shape of S or B.

7
 The larvae swings the head in S or 8 shape inside the cocoon shell and crawls around to
make cocoon shell thicker gradually from inside
 Time required to make cocoon lrom beginning to end is usually around 48 h at 25"C, but
it varies with race and temperature.
 Spinning speed of liner and longer silk filament is faster compared to cocoons with
shorter silk filament.
 A mature silkworm can spin around a range of 500 to 2000 m of silk filament depending
on the race, out of which 1 to 2 % of the filament are used to make a footage.

8
GROUND PLAN OF MODEL REARING HOUSE AND REARING EQUIPMENTS

GROUND PLAN OF MODEL REARING HOUSE

 Rearing house should be a rat proof building with a ledge all around

 Building should have verandah all round with glass windows, ventilators and doors to
provide good ventilation and aeration

 The ceiling of the rearing house should be generally be made of wood or concrete

 It should have separate rooms for chawki rearing, leaf storage and late age rearing

 Rearing house should be uzifly proof

The factors considered during rearing house construction

 Rearing house is designed based on the brushing capacity, the method of rearing and
availability of mulberry leaf

 In general, 2 sq.ft/dfl floor area is required for tray rearing method and 3 sq.ft/dfl in the
case of shoot feeding method

 Orientation of Rearing house building varies

In tropical – East West direction (To avoid direct falling of sunlight on rearing house )

Temperate/Sub tropical– the long axis of the building should be in North south
direction(To expose more area to sunlight)

Selection of site

 Rearing house should be away from places of livestock as the chemicals used may harm
them.
 It is also necessary to avoid damp areas which facilitate easy multiplication of disease
causing germs and spread of diseases.
 Areas closer to tobacco barrens and industrial establishments emanating dust, smoke and
other noxious gaseous are unfit for rearing activities.
 It should be gardens or fields where excessive pesticides are sprayed is also not advisable
 Shaded areas under large trees are good for locating rearing houses as they provide cool
environment and fresh and clean air in the areas where the temperature and humidity is
high.
 It is ideal to have the rearing house closer to the mulberry garden as it will be convenient
to feed fresh leaves with very little moisture loss that occurs during transportation.

9
Model rearing house

To rear 300-400 DFL’s

1.Chawki room -10×12 ft

2.Leaf storage room - 10×10 ft

3.Late age rearing hall - 20×20 ft

REARING HOUSE

10
 Outline for Late age Silkworm Rearing House

REARING EQUIPMENTS

 Equipment’s used during silkworm rearing

 Equipment’s used silkworm feeding
 Equipment’s used for bed cleaning
 Equipment used in Grainage

Equipment’s used during silkworm rearing

Rearing stand

 Rearing stand is made up of wood, Bamboo or iron

 Height -2.25 m
 Length- 1.5 m
 Width- 0.15 m
 10 tiers
 Space between two tiers is 0.15 m

Rearing trays

 Trays are made up of plastic or bamboo

 Bamboo trays with diameter of 4 to 4.5 ft
 Plastic trays - 4×3 ft and 4 inches
Or
 3×2 ft and 4 inches

11
Feather

 Brushing of newly hatched silkworm larvae from egg card to rearing trays

 To spread the young worms during the spacing

Chopsticks

 Used for picking the young age larvae

 Ensures hygienic during handling of young silkworm
 Picking of diseased larvae to avoid spreading of disease

Paraffin paper

 Thick craft paper coated with wax paper with melting point of 55˚C
 Silkworm beds covered during rearing to prevent withering of leaves
 To maintain required humidity in rearing bed

Foam Rubber Strips

 Long foam rubber strip of 2.5 cm thick and width is used

 Foam rubber pads are soaked are placed around the tray to maintain humidity in the
rearing bed during chawki

Antwell

 These are provided to prevent ants from crawling on to the trays.

 They are made of concrete or stone blocks 20cm square and 7.5 cm high with a deep
groove of 2.5cm running all round the top.
 The legs of the rearing stand will rest on the center of the block and water is poured into
the groove to prevent the ants.

Hygrometer: Needed to record the prevailing atmospheric humidity.

Thermometer: Needed to record the prevailing room temperature.

Room heaters: Are required to raise the room temperature when it falls below the optimum.

Sprayers: Required for disinfection of rearing room and equipment.

OTHER MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENTS INCLUDE:

 Baskets
 Wash basin with stands
 Exhaust fans
 Flame gun
12
  Gunny bags

Equipments used silkworm feeding

Chopping Board and knife

 Used for cutting of mulberry leaves

 It is made up of soft wood, with size of about 0.92 m 0.92 m and thickness of 7.6 cm

Mats

 Mats usually 1.2 x 1.8m are used for collecting the leaves when chopping is done and
they prevent dust and dirt on the floor getting mixed in with leaves.
 Feeding stand
 These are small wooden stands 9m height used for holding the tray during feeding and
cleaning

Leaf preservation

 Basket
 Earthen Pot
 Leaf preservation chamber

Leaf preservation chambers:

 Mulberry leaves harvested from the field are stored and preserved fresh for feeding the
worms at set intervals during the day.
 Size of the chamber is 1.5m long, 0.9m wide, 0.8m deep. The sidewall and bottom are
made of wooden strips, 7.5cm wide and placed 7.5 cm apart. The chamber is covered on
all the sides with gunny cloth, which is kept wet.

Equipment’s used for bed cleaning

Cleaning nets

 These are made of cotton thread or nylon woven into nets of different meshes to suite the
size variations of different stages of the silkworm.
 They are used for cleaning the rearing beds, at least two nets are required for each of the
rearing tray beds
 Size of mesh at different at stages of worms are as follows.
Chawki – I instar and II instar -2 mm2
III instar – 10mm2
IV and V instar – 20mm2

13
 Equipment’s used in Grainage

Cellule

 It is used during oviposition to create semi dark condition

Pestle and mortar

 It is used to crush the abdomen of the female moth to examine pebrine infection

Incubation frame

 It is used for incubation of silkworm egg

Egg carrying bag

 It is used to carry eggs from grainage to rearing house

Rearing stand, Rearing trays, Feather, Chopsticks, Paraffin paper, Foam Rubber Strips,
Chopping Board and knife, Mats, Cleaning nets, Antwell, Feeding stand, Leaf preservation
chamber, Hygrometer, Thermometer, Room heaters, Sprayers, Wash basin with stands Exhaust fans,
Flame gun,Gunny bags are also used in grainages.

14
 DISINFECTION AND HYGIENE

 Disinfection is the important necessary step to ensure healthy and successful

silkworm rearing
 It aims at total destruction of disease causing pathogens (Several bacteria, virus, fungi
and protozoans)
 These pathogens released by diseased silkworms easily accumulate and spread in the
environment
 They can survive for long periods under congenial conditions
 Prevention of the disease is ensured by proper disinfection and maintenance of
hygiene

Methods of disinfection

1) Physical methods :

 Disinfection by sun drying

 Disinfection by boiling water
 Disinfection by steam
 Disinfection by hot air
2) Chemical methods :

 Formalin
 Bleaching powder
 Slaked lime powder
 Chlorine dioxide etc.

PHYSICAL METHODS

1. Disinfection by sun drying:

 Sunlight is used mainly for disinfection of wooden rearing apparatus such as trays that
can be removed from the room and exposed to it.
 The bactericidal effect of sunlight is mainly due to its ultraviolet rays that kill the
pathogens by denaturation of their proteins as well as inducing lethal mutations.
 The action of UV rays is supplemented by the infra-red and visible components of
sunlight that kill the pathogens by heating and drying them.

2. Disinfection by boiling water:

 Boiling water destroys the pathogens by coagulation of their proteins

1
  This simple but effective method of disinfection is used for small rearing tools such as
nets, chopsticks and brushes
 These are put into boiling water 30 minutes dried and then used

3. Disinfection by steam:

 Steam at high pressure denatures the proteins of pathogens and is a good sterilizing
agent
 Steaming is carried out in special steaming cabinets in which rearing tools are piled.
Water is added in a special through at the bottom of the cabinet.
 After closing, the temperature of the cabinet is raised and maintained at 100˚C for half
an hour.
 To increase the efficiency of steaming, formalin is added at the rate of 12.5 ml per
cubic meter water, the temperature raised to 88˚C and maintained at that point for 40
min.
4. Disinfection by hot air:

 Hot air is blown into the room containing the apparatus to be sterilized.

DISINFECTANTS

a) General Disinfectant
 Disinfectants which are used for disinfection of entire rearing house, equipment's and
surrounding area
Eg. Sanitech
Decol

b)Bed Disinfectant

 Dusting of disinfectants on the silkworm larval body and rearing bed

Eg. Amruth

Vijetha Vetcare

Vijetha supplement

GENERAL DISINFECTANT

1. Formalin:

 Formalin is a solution of formaldehyde gas in water

 36 – 40% solution of formaldehyde
 Colourless liquid with pungent odour
 A powerful reducing agent
 Takes oxygen from germ cells and gets itself oxidized to Formic acid
 Used in 2% concentration

2
  FOR BEST RESULT: AIR TIGHT CONDITION, RH- 70 % and temperature above
20 ºC

2. Bleaching Powder :

 White amorphous powder with a pungent odour of chlorine

 High grade bleaching powder with active chlorine content of 30 % must be used
 Act as a strong oxidizing agent because of release of nascent oxygen
 It should be stored in sealed bag, away from moisture (ineffective)
 The action of bleaching powder is optimal under wet and contact condition
 5% bleaching powder solution is effective against most of microorganisms

3. Slaked lime powder

 Dull white powder

 It absorbs moisture (bed humidity ) and maintain hygiene
 Good anti viral activity
 It is used as carrier material
 O.3 % slaked lime solution recommended (grasserie and viral flacherie diseases)

4. Chlorine dioxide (ClO2):

 Strong oxidising agent

 Marketed in different trading names such as Sanitech, Serichlor etc.
 Unpleasant odour of Chlorine but it is tolerable
 Available in 20000 ppm concentration
 Less corrosive, compared to bleaching powder
 Highly germicidal
 Effective at broader pH range
 As it is contact disinfectant, it is effective in all types of rearing houses
Estimation of disinfection solution

The disinfectant required for disinfection of rearing house is

1.5 lt/sq. m. floor area
or
0.140 lit/ sq. ft. floor area
Calculation

For Shoot Method of rearing

 Area- 50×20= 1000 sq. ft.

 1 sq. ft. -0.140 lit
 1000 sq. ft. - ?

=140 lit

3
  Additional height :
1000×2×0.014 = 28 lit

 Total =140+28=168 lit

 Add 10 % to total quantity

=14 lit
 Actual requirement :
168 lit +14 lit =182 lit

For Tray Method of rearing

 Area- 50×20= 1000 sq. ft.
 1 sq. ft. -0.140 lit
 1000 sq. ft. - ?
=140 lit

 Additional height :
1000×2×0.014 = 28 lit
 Total =140+28=168 lit

 Add 35 % to total quantity

=49 lit

 Actual requirement :
168 lit +49 lit =217 lit
2 per cent Formalin solution

Quantity of commercial formaldehyde

=10.11 lit
= 171.89 lit water +10.11 lit formalin
Names of General disinfectatns

1. Sanitech – chlorine dioxide along with lime solution

Developed from sericare

Commercially available =20000 ppm

4
Required concentration = 500 ppm

 50g of activator crystals is added to 500 ml of Sanitech and dissolved till the colour of
the solution changes to yellow (Solution A).

 Mix 100g of slaked lime powder in 19.5 liters of water (Solution B).

 Mix Solutions A and B, i.e. 500 ml + 19.5 liters = 20 liters

 Versatile, Powerful, User friendly

 Effective against all pathogens of Silkworm
 Non corrosive on metallic equipment
 No irritating pungent odor
 All pathogens are killed within 10 - 30 min of spray
 The solution required per m2 floor area is less, hence cost effective
 99.9 % assured disinfection and lower residual effect

2.Sanitech super (Developed from sericare)

 It is effective in destroying the disease-causing pathogenic microbes present in and

around the rearing house
 2.5 times more potent than any other disinfectants available in the market
 Non-corrosive to any iron or other metallic equipment's used in the rearing house
 Odourless and completely safe on skin
 (At the time of spray; Nose and Eyes have to be covered with a mask. Windows and
doors can be kept open)
 Spraying can be done at any hours of the day
 99.9 % of disease-causing microbes can be prevented / controlled within 30 minutes
after spray

3.SERI SWACHH (Developed from sericare)

 Powder Disinfectant
 Soon after harvest of cocoons, spray Seri Swachh inside the cleaned rearing house
 Two days prior to brushing or bringing chawki larvae conduct drenching spray with
Seri Swachh inside the rearing house along with equipment’s
 @ 1½ lt / m2 or 140 ml / sq.ft. floor area and 10 % of usable solution for outside the
rearing house
4.Decol

 Decol, has been jointly formulated by Silkworm Seed Technology Laboratory of

Central Silk Board, Kodathi, Bangalore
1 Disinfection of rearing house , 1 part of decol and 49 parts of
rearing appliances/ equipments water(spraying ,800 ppm)
(trays and rearing racks)

5
 Quantity of disinfectants required @ 200 ml/sq. ft or
@ 2 lit/ sq. mt floor area

2 Disinfection of equipment's by Dipping in 1 part of decol and

dipping 49 parts of water for 30
minutes

3 Floor mopping/ swabbing Alternate days

4 Hand/Foot wash 1 part of decol and 79 parts of

water (500 ppm)

General disinfectants developed from Karnataka state sericulture research and

development institute (KSSR&DI)

5.CHLOROFECT- CHLORINE BASED

 It is chlorine based broad spectrum germicide with a pleasant smell with pH 7.5 -8
 It can be diluted to 1:39 times
 The shelf life is one year
 It is highly effective against all pathogens of silkworm.
 It is a contact type disinfectant suitable to any type of rearing house and appliances.
 It is less toxic, non irritant and user friendly and cost effective.

METHOD OF PREPARATION AND USE OF CHLOROFECT:

 Based on the rearing room floor area calculate required solution @ 1.5 lts/sq. mt.
 Prepared Chlorofect solution is sprayed
 After 12 hrs of spraying, the appliances are taken out, washed with water and dried
for 8-10 hrs and stored in the rearing room.
 Second disinfection is done a day before brushing with the above mentioned method.

Disinfection tank: Disinfection tank is filled with diluted Chlorofect solution (1:49
dilution).

 Immerse appliances for 25-30 minutes, take out and then dry under sun light and
store.

Disposal of dead larvae: Chlorofect (1 ml. in 40ml of water) is prepared in a basin,

collect dead and diseased larvae and dispose.

6
6.SERIPHENE

 Seriphene is a phenol based disinfectant for disinfection of rearing house and

appliances before and after rearing.
 Seriphene can be diluted 1:200 times the pH of diluted Seriphene is 7.5-8
 The shelf life of one year
 Disinfection of rearing room including appliances requires 1.5 lt per sq. mt.
 It is highly effective against all pathogens of silkworm.
 Disposal of dead larvae: Seri-phene (5 ml. in 1 lt of water) is prepared in a basin,
collect dead and diseased larvae and dispose

7.SINCHANA- chlorine based disinfectant

 Sinchana is a chlorine based disinfectant in powder form, for disinfection of rearing

house and appliances before and after rearing.
 Sinchana can be diluted 1:200 times and the pH of diluted Sinchana is 7-8
 The shelf life is one year
 Disinfection of rearing room including appliances requires 1.5 lt per sq. mt.
 It is highly effective against all pathogens of silkworm.

8.SANITAL PLUS: chlorine based disinfectant

 Sanitall plus is a kit with 3 components

 component 1 is stabilized chlorine dioxide,

 component 2 is activator and

 component 3 is booster.

 Then use this solution for disinfection at @ 1.5 lt/ sq.mt. floor area.

 Take 1 liter of chlorine dioxide (component 1) in a 50 liter capacity drum

 add 100 gm activator chemical (component 2) to it and mix well
 Within 2-3 minutes mix 40 liters of clean water and keep mixing
 While doing so add 500ml booster (component 3) to it and mix thoroughly

“Rearing house should be kept closed for minimum of 6-10 hours”

7
 DISINFECTION OF REARING HOUSE AND EQUIPMENT'S

A) After completion of silkworm rearing

(First disinfection)

B) Before brushing of silkworm

(Second disinfection)

A) After completion of silkworm rearing

Cleaning of rearing houses and appliance

 Immediately after the completion of the silkworm rearing (Disposal of dead larvae
and pupae, left over material in the bed)
 Disinfect the rearing house with 5% bleaching power solution
 Dispose the debris by burning or burying 2 ft deep in soil

Disinfection of rearing trays

 Bamboo, wooden and plastic trays are soaked in 2 % bleaching powder in 0.3 %
slaked lime solution by dipping them in a disinfection tank for 10 min
 Tank = Length ×Width × height
=4×4×2
= 32 c. ft.
 For 1 c.ft required solution is 28 lit
 Filling upto ¾th level = ¾×32 = 24 c. ft.

= 24×28= 672 L.

Disinfection of mountages

 2 % formalin
 Flame gun
 Don’t use bleaching powder solution for disinfection of mountages

b) BEFORE BRUSHING OF SILKWORM

5 days before brushing

 Rearing house and appliances - water - dried in bright sunlight (10-12 hr )

4 days before brushing

 Additional disinfection of rearing house with 0.3 % slaked lime ( 3 g/lit)

 (If the previous crop is infected with Grasseri or flacherie diseases)

8
3 days before brushing

 2nd disinfection
 2.5 % Sanitech/Serichlor in 0.5 % slaked lime
Or
2 % Bleaching powder in 0.3 % slaked lime solution
 After spraying close the room preferably for 24 hours

2 days before brushing

 Dust 5 % Bleaching powder in slaked lime powder @200 g/ sq. ft. Floor area
(entrance )
 Hand Wash Basin : 2 % Bleaching powder in 0.3 % slaked lime solution or Suchi
 Foot Mat: Gunny cloth dipped in 2 % Bleaching powder in 0.3 % slaked lime
solution
 Open all the windows of rearing house and ventilators (drive off all the odor of
disinfectants)

1 day before brushing

 Arrange all the appliances inside the rearing house

POINTS TO REMEMBER

 Avoid borrowing of appliances from others

 Restrict the entry of persons into the rearing house
 At the entrance of rearing house , sprinkle 5 % Bleaching powder in 0.3 % slaked
lime
 The silkworm rearer while entering into the rearing house, must be disinfect feet and
hands

HYGIENE DURING SILKWORM REARING

 Surface disinfection of silkworm eggs with 2 % formalin for 5- 10 min

 Pick unequal worms / unhealthy silkworms and put into a basin containing 5 %
Bleaching powder in slaked lime solution
 Cleaning net - Dipping in 2 % formalin solution for 10 min
 Floor of rearing house I s wiped with 2 % Bleaching powder in 0.3 % slaked lime
solution
 Pick diseased and non spinning larvae from mountages and dispose in 2 %
Bleaching powder in slaked lime solution

BED DISINFECTANTS

 objective
 To prevent the secondary infection, occurrence and spread of the diseases in
rearing bed

9
  Lime - dusted on silkworm, when the larvae settle for moult
 General bed disinfectants dusted, when the silkworm come out of moult before
resuming the feeding (Half an hour before )
 The quantity of bed disinfectant recommended per square feet is 3-5 g
 6 kg bed disinfectant is required for 100 DFL’s

List of Bed disinfectants

Sl. No. Name Diseases

1 Vetcare Vijetha All silkworm diseases

4 kg/ 100 DFL’s – Tray method
6 kg/ 100 DFL’s –Shoot method
2 Vijetha Green All silkworm diseases
3 Vetcare Vijetha Supplement Prevention of Fungal Diseases
4 Vijetha Forte All silkworm diseases

5 Ankush All silkworm diseases

6 Sanjeevini (5 kg/ 100 DFL’s) Grasserie

7 Suraksha (5 kg/ 100 DFL’s) White Muscardine

8 RKO All silkworm diseases

3 chemicals
Paraformaldehyde (2 % )+ Benzoic Acid(1%)+
Captan (1%)+ Lime (96%)
9 Resham Jyothi All silkworm diseases

10
Vijetha

Stage of application Quantity for 100 DFL’s (g)

Tray Shoot Rearing
Rearing
After first Moult 50 50
After second moult 150 150
After third moult 600 900
After fourth moult 1200 1900
4th day of fifth instar 2000 3000
Total Requirements 4000 6000

Vijetha supplement

Stage of application Quantity for 100 DFL’s (g)

Tray Shoot Rearing
Rearing
After first Moult 50 50
After second moult 150 100
After third moult 350 550
3rd day of Fourth instar 600 900
After fourth moult 700 1000
3rd day of fifth instar 900 1400
5th day of fifth instar 1300 2000
Total Requirements 4000 6000

11
Ankush

Stage of application Quantity for 100 DFL’s (g)

Tray Shoot Rearing
Rearing
After first Moult 72 72
After second moult 144 144
After third moult 288 540
After fourth moult 768 1440
3rd day of fifth instar 1076 1600
5th day of fifth instar 1348 2160
Total Requirements 4000 6000

Preparation and Application of Formalin chaff (Muscardine disease)

 In this method formalin solution of required concentration depending on the silkworm

instar is mixed with burnt paddy husk and sprinkled on concentration of formalin
required is

0.4 per cent during I and II instars,

0.5 percent in III instar,
0.6 per cent in IV instar and
0.8 per cent during V instar.
 The paddy husk is charred or burnt either by burning or roasting in a pan without
making ash.
 Depending larvae, the required strength of formalin is mixed with the 1:10 by volume
and mixed thoroughly.
 Then it is sprinkled evenly on the larvae and covered with a paraffin or double fold
newspaper.
 After 1/2 an hour the paper cover is removed and feed is given.
 Application of formalin chaff can be done before brushing on the newly hatched
larvae and after each moult 1/2 an hour before the resumption of feeding.

POINTS TO REMEMBER

 Estimated quantity of disinfectants solution prepared and sprayed to the inner surface
of rearing house with all the required appliances inside the rearing house
 Disinfectant solution should reach all the crevices and corners uniformly
 Should wear mask, coat , hand gloves and shoes
 Keep the bed disinfectants away from children
 Feed the silkworm 30 min after dusting
 Donot dust on the larvae under moult

12
 SILKWORM REARING

Silkworm rearing depends on

Availability of
mulberry leaf

Economic The
condition of availability
the farmer of labour

CHAWKI REARING

 The rearing of second and third instar is called " chawki rearing"
 Young age worms are more resistance to high temperature and humidity and grow
healthier, ensuring success of cocoon crop
 Out of the total consumption of leaf, only 6.33 percent is consumed during chawki
stage
 But body weight increases by 400 times, while 300 times increase in body size and
500 times increases in silk gland weight

Chawki rearing methods

1. Box rearing
2. Stand rearing
3. Isolation chamber rearing

1. BOX REARING

 This method is practiced where the temperature and humidity are low
 Wooden trays / Plastic trays are used (4’×3’×4” or 3’×2’×4”)
 Trays are piled upto a convenient height one above the other on chawki rearing stand
 It helps to increases the temperature and humidity upto desired level
 Paraffin paper is used as a seat and also used to cover rearing trays
 Paraffin paper is removed, 30 min before feeding and during moult and arranged in
criss-cross pattern for air circulation
  Ideal for chawki rearing centres as a minimal space is required for large scale
production
2. STAND REARING

 Wooden trays / Plastic trays are used (4’×3’×4” or 3’×2’×4”)

 Rearing trays are arranged in rearing stand
 Each trays should be covered with paraffin paper and used as a rearing seat
 When optimum temperature and humidity are available or if temperature is high in
the rearing house
 This method is not suitable for large scale rearing(more space is needed)

3. ISOLATION CHAMBER REARING

 The isolation chamber rearing is useful when temperature and humidity are very low
 Chambers are made of plywood sheets with wooden frames of size 6’×4’×5’ with
double door
 Provided with heater and humidifier inside
 Rearing is done inside the chamber by piling up the trays on a chawki stand or on
small rearing stand
 Paraffin paper is used as a seat and cover or by wrapping in Paraffin paper
 Maintenance of temperature and humidity is easy inside the chamber
 The chamber is provided with ventilators on the upper surface and lower side through
which aeration inside the chamber is achieved
 Each chamber accommodates 300 DFL’s till second moult

Feeding of chawki silkworm

 The tender, soft and succulent leaves with around 80% moisture and high nutritive
value
 Mulberry leaves having 27% protein, 11% carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins are
considered good for rearing
 On a mulberry shoot, four leaves below the largest glossy leaf are well suited for the
first instar larvae and the next four leaves for the second instar

Environmental conditions
A. Temperature

 Rise in temperature increases various functions and with a fall the activities are
decreases
 Increased temperature accelerates larval growth and shortens the larval period
 At low temperature the growth is slow and larval period is prolonged
 The optimum temperature for normal growth of silkworms is between 20˚C and 28 ˚
C and the desirable temperature for maximum productivity ranges from 23 ˚ C to 28 ˚
C
  The temperature above 30 ˚ C directly affects the health of the worm
 If the temperature is below 20 ˚C all the physiological activities are retarded,
especially in early instars, as a result worms become too weak and susceptible to
diseases
 The temperature requirements during the early instars(I,II,III) is high and the worms
feed actively and grow very vigorously
 Such vigorous worms, can stand better even at adverse conditions in later instars

B. Humidity

 Its role is both direct and indirect

 It directly influences the physiological functions of the silkworm
 The young age silkworms can withstand to high humidity conditions better than later
age worms and under such condition the growth is vigorous
 Humidity indirectly influences the rate of withering of the leaves in the silkworms
beds
 Under dry conditions the leaves wither very fast and become unsuitable for feeding
 This effects growth of the larvae and also results in wastage of leaf fed
 Retarded growth of young larvae makes them weak and susceptible to disease

C. Air

 By respiration of silkworms, carbon dioxide gas is released in the rearing bed

 Therefore care should be taken to allow fresh air through proper ventilation to keep
the toxic gases at a low level
 If CO2 exceeds to 2 per cent concentration, the growth of silkworm is retarded
 Air plays an important role in regulating room temperature and humidity
 Artificial air circulation is useful for bringing down high temperature and humidity

D. Light

 Silkworms are photosensitive. They have a tendency to crawl towards dim light
 Silkworm do not like either strong light or complete dark-ness
 The larval moult is uniform when silkworms are reared in 16 hours light and 8 hours
darkness

LATE AGE SILKWORMS

 The rearing of third, fourth and fifth instar is called "late age silkworm rearing"
 The late age silkworms consume more quantity of leaf
 Out of the total consumption of leaf, 94% of the leaf is consumed during the late age
silkworms
 The silkworm body size increases by 133 times, weight by 125 times and silk gland
by 1000 times
 Late age rearing needs almost 50% of the total labour in fifth stage alone
  A separate rearing house with adequate rearing space and sufficient ventilation and
light are essential for effective disinfection and maintenance of required
environmental conditions during late age silkworm rearing
 Low tolerance to high temperature, high humidity and poor ventilation
 Requires coarser and matured leaves rather than tender leaves
 Amount of mulberry leaves ingested and digested greatly increases
 Reduction in feeding affect the cocoon size and larval duration is prolonged
 More resistant to disinfectants and other chemicals
 Susceptible to pests because of increased larval size

Rearing methods

1. Tray rearing method

 Bamboo rearing trays are arranged in tiers on rearing stand for rearing and is called
shelf rearing
 The stands are arranged in rows leaving a convenient space for attending cleaning,
feeding
 Generally round bamboo trays (Plastic trays)are used for this method
 In each stand ten trays are arranged
 The worms are fed with individual leaves
 Four or five feeds are given per day
 nets are used for bed cleaning
 small scale and marginal farmers, as it needs less space for conducting rearing
 70-80 trays /100DFL’s

Advantages

1. More worms can be reared in a limited area

2. An overall view of all the trays is possible
3. Required air and light are available
Disadvantages

1. More labour are required

2. Care should be taken for proper spacing
3. Cost of production is more
4. Trays should be removed frequently
5. Leaf wither quickly and also quality is reduced
2. The floor rearing method

 This method is followed traditionally in Kashmir and some parts of China

 Silkworm rearing is conducted on the floor using mulberry shoots/branches
 Rearing bed of 5 ft width and as long as rearing room is made on either side of the
floor on old newspaper
  Before spreading the news paper, a thin layer of lime is dusted on the floor to prevent
the attack from ants
 Feeding : shoot feeding method
 No cleaning of bed is practiced
 it is highly economical and hygienic

Advantages

 Saving on labour expenses thus reduces cost of production

 Saves times in feeding, cleaning, spacing
 Cost of trays and maintenance are totally eliminated
 More worms can be reared
 Worms growth, disease incidence can be observed easily

Disadvantages

 Requires more floor area for rearing of silkworm

3.Shoot Method of Rearing

 Shoot rearing racks are made of wood, iron or bamboo and can be easily assembled
by the farmer
 A shoot rack of 5 ft width and as long as rearing house (26-30 ft)
 3-4 tiers are used for rearing silkworms(Made up of nylon rope fixed in both
horizontal and vertical direction with a gap of 4-5 inches)
 The gap between the tiers is kept at 2 to 2 ½ feet to facilitate easy feeding of larvae
 The height of the rearing rack will be 6-7 ft
 The bottom tier will be 1 ft above ground level
 Each shelf should be provided with 6 inch border
 While assembling the rack, a distance of 2 ½ ft is made between the wall and the rack
and 3ft between the racks.
 News paper is used as a rearing seat (silkworm, left over material and litter )
 Each tier -75 DFL’s (30000 silkworm upto spinning )
 From 1 acre mulberry garden – 250 to 300 DFL’s

Advantages

 Labour requirements are reduced to 60% in IV age and 50% in V age

 Leaf saving is upto 20 %
 Leaf quality remains for longer period (feeding efficiency is increased)
 Better aeration and light interception in the rearing beds is ensured
 Three dimensional feeding reduces leaf wastage
 Accommodates 50% more worms per unit area
 Cleaning and feeding time is minimum
 Rearing activities are made easy
  Bed cleaning is required once
 Silkworm and leaves don't come in contact with a litter (Secondary contamination is
avoided)
 Handling of silkworm is minimal

Disadvantages

1. More area in rearing house is required (30%)

2. Waste leaves not available for cattle feed (After bed cleaning)
3. Seed material not available due to frequent cutting of shoots
4. Separate rearing house is required

ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS FOR SILKWORM REARING

(Late age silkworms)

a.Temperature

 Silkworms can be reared successfully within a range of 20-28°C

 The optimum temperature required for late age silkworms are 23-25°C
 The larval duration increase by one day if the temperature goes below 23°C
 Similarly, when the temperature goes above 36°C, it affects the survival of larvae and
cocoons reared at high temperature are inferior in quality

b.Humidity

 Comparatively, low humidity in the range of 65 -70 % gives superior quality cocoons
 High humidity and high temperatures are predisposing factors for infection by various
pathogens
 Humidity also indirectly influences driage of leaves in rearing bed
 Hence, during feeding, high humidity is maintained and it has to be reduced during
moult to facilitate easy removal of skin

c. Air Current

 Better ventilation also helps in regulation of rearing temperature and humidity

 The recommended air current during late age rearing is 1.0 m/sec for 30 minutes
before feeding

d. Light

 It has indirect effect on silkworms

 Silkworms are photosensitive and prefer dim light (15-30 lux)
  Light does not affect their survival rate but affects the distribution of larvae in the
rearing bed
 The late age silkworms shows optimum uniform growth at a photoperiod of 16 hours
of light and 8 hours of darkness

BED CLEANING METHODS

a. Cleaning with net

 In this process a net with mesh suited to the size of the silkworms are used
 During the process of cleaning the net is spread over the bed just prior to the first
feeding
 Silkworms crawl on to the net to feed mulberry leaf
 The net along with the silkworms and feed are transferred to another tray
 Nets are left below the bed which will help in removing the bed while doing final
cleaning
 It is very simple method and requires less labour

b.Rope Method

 Depending upon length of the shoot rearing rock 2 or 3 ropes of 6 feet length are
spread parallel to one another leaving 1.5 feet margin both the sides
 After two feeds silkworms are climb and reach the surface layer of shoots with leaves
 Both the ends of ropes lifted together with shoots in the centre and removed. Place it
in the another side of rock and remove the left over material in the rearing bed
 Helps in separating the old bed easily without causing damage to the larvae
 After removing the old bed, the bundles of fresh shoot with larvae are opened and
spreaded on the rearing bed
 Rope remain below the bed which helps in removing the bed, when all the larvae are
mounted for spinning

Leaf quality

 Growth of silkworms is directly related to the quality and quantity of mulberry leaves
fed to it
 The late age silkworms require relatively less moisture in leaves, but the leaves should
be nutritious
 Hence, it is essential that great care should be taken to provide the leaves of required
maturity
 Leaves from 55 - 65 days old shoots are ideal
 Over-mature leaves, above 70 days old and tender leaves less 28 Incubation and
Silkworm Rearing than 35 days old should be avoided for late age silkworms
 Maturation of mulberry leaves depend on the season
 Hence, it is advisable to delay the shoot harvest by 15-20 days to enhance the leaf
maturation during winter season and vice-versa in summer
 CHAWKI REARING CENTRES (CRC)/ CO-OPERATIVE REARING CENTRES

 The purpose of chawki rearing is to grow good quality silkworms, under disease free
environment, to reduce the cost and silkworm rearing duration with famers, and to
improve the cocoon quality and productivity
 In the developed silk producing countries like China, Korea and Japan, the farmers
(95%) receive silkworm as chawki worms
 The CRCs facilitate the farmers to purchase healthy and uniform chawki worms after
2nd moult at a reasonable rate, saving them nine days’ labour and from the delicate
task of incubation, brushing and young age rearing
 It is recorded that the cocoon productivity from CRC supplied worms is about 20-
25% higher
 The CRCs also promotes batch rearing among the farmers, and also helps to increase
the number of crops per year for more sustainable economic returns
 Chawki rearing must be carried out scientifically with technical skill and expertise,
which is now provided to the famers by the commercial enterprises known popularly
as Chawki Centres or Commercial Chawki Rearing Centres (CRCs)
 In recent years several commercial CRCs have been established by private and
government entrepreneurs across India, especially in the traditional sericulture areas
 Supply of chawki worms is an integral part of bivoltine silk promotion programmes of
the Central Silk Board

The basic requirements for successful commercial chawki rearing centre (CRC) are

 Improved mulberry variety garden with wider spacing grown under assured nutrition
management and irrigation etc.
 Exclusive chawki rearing house with required space equipments and other appliances
 Well trained and skilled manpower for efficient management of chawki rearing

Mulberry garden

o 1 acre - 60,000 DFL’s can be brushed

o 2 acre – 120000 DFL’s can be brushed
o 3 acre -2,40,000 DFL’s can be brushed

Advantages

 Ensures proper egg incubation and good hatching of silkworm

 Chawki silkworms are robust and disease free
 Prevents cocoon crop loss
 Ensures the cocoon crop stabilization
 Increases the cocoon yield (5-6 kg/100 dfls) with good quality
 Reduction in production cost
 Synchronization of crops
 More number of crops per year
 Time and labour saving
 PESTS OF SILKWORM

INSECT PESTS

1. Uzi fly
2. Earwig
3. Dermestid beetle
4. Ants

NON INSECT PESTS

1. Straw itchmite
2. Rats
3. Squirrels
4. Lizards
INSECT PESTS

UZI FLY

 Among the insect pests of silkworm, the most important one is a dipteran parasitoid,
Exorista sorbillans (=Exorista bombycis= Trycolyga bombycis = Exorista sorbillans),
tachinid fly otherwise is called the Uzi fly, is a major pest of silkworm.
 The presence of this pest has been reported in India, China, Japan, Bangladesh, South
Korea, Thailand and Viet Nam.
 The incidence of this fly is very high in the topical Sericultural region
 The extent of damage ranges from 10-30 percent
 Uzi fly, Exorista bombycis (Louis) is an endo-larval parasitoid of the silkworm,
Bombyx mori L. parasitisation of silkworm larvae by tachinid fly was first reported
from Japan in the year 1868
 In India , uzifly has been reported first in West Bengal
 This fly was first noticed in Bylanarasipura village of Hosakote Taluk of Bangalore
district during 1982 in the month of May

Systematic position

Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum : Arthropoda
Group : Invertebrata
Class : Insecta
Division : Pterygota
Su-division : Endopterygota
Order : Diptera
Sub-order : Cyclorrhapha
Family : Tachinidae
Genus : Exorista
Species : bombycis

1
 LIFE CYCLE OF UZIFLY

Uzifly egg

 A single mated female uzi fly lays about 300-4,00 eggs over a period of about 9-25
days depending upon the seasons
 The fertilized eggs are laid by uzifly on intersegmental region of silkworm larval
body
 Eggs are macro type and creamy white in colour with reticulate pattern on the surface
of chorion
 The eggs measures 0.45-0.56 mm in length and 0.25-0.30 mm in width
 They are oblong in shape
 It hatches in about 2-5 days after oviposition depending upon the climatic condition

Uzi maggot

 Maggots pass through three instars

 In the first two instars. they develop just below the skin of the host body and in the
final instar they leave this site and move into the body cavity
 Maggots of first and second instars are yellowish- white in colour and measure1.3-
1.6 cm in length
 Maggots have eleven body segments
 The mature maggots escape from the host body by piercing the integument by its
prothoracic hooks in about 5-8 days depending upon season and number of maggots
developing per host larva
 They feed on various tissues of the silk worm body and the host larva dies by the time
the maggots are mature to escape out from the host body

Uzi Adult

 Adults are blackish grey in colour

 Male is loner in body length (about 12 mm) than female (about 10mm)
 The Head is triangular in shape
 Type of antennae is aristate (Arista is 3 segmented)
 On the dorsal side of the thorax, there are four longitudinal black bands
 The abdomen is conical. Of the abdominal segments, the first one is black and the rest
grayish-yellow
 Life span of adult flies varies with sex and season. Males survive for about 10-18
days. Females live 2-3 days longer than the males
 Survival period is less during summer months

Male and Female Uzifly

2
  Male can be distinguished from the female by the presence of external genitalia
covered with brownish orange hairs on the ventral side of the abdominal tip
 Lateral region of the abdomen are covered with bristles more dense in male than in
female and in the latter restricted mostly to last two segments
 The width of the frons of the male fly is narrower than that of the female one
 Longitudinal lines on the dorsum of the thorax of the male are more vivid than female
 The pulvilli of male is larger than female

Factors responsible for outbreak of Uzifly

 Large scale and overlapping rearing of host (silkworm)

 Favourable climatic conditions (temperature range of 20 – 30°C and relative humidity
of 60 – 90%) facilitates continuous host / silkworm rearing which in turn helps the
host availability
 Increased adult (uzi fly) longevity
 Higher egg production and egg hatchability
 Reduced activity of the natural enemies like parasitoids, predators and pathogens in
nature

Period of occurrence

 In the southern sericultural belt (Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu), the uzi
fly is prevalent throughout the year
 Maximum infestation is recorded during rainy season followed by winter
 The infestation is least during summer months
 Nature of Damage
 The Uzi fly lays one or two cream coloured eggs (measuring the size of a pin head) on
the silkworm larva
 Generally, it prefers grown up larva (i.e.,4th or 5th instars) for egg laying
 The eggs hatch in 48 to 62 hours
 A black scar is formed at the point where the egg hatches and the uzi larva (maggot)
enters the body of the silkworm using the hooks (pro-thoracic hook) attached to the
mouth
 Maggot feed on the internal tissues of silkworm especially fat bodies
 Fully grown maggot punctures the larval body and comes out, pupates in the cracks
and crevices
 Uzi pierced cocoons are unfit for reeling

Management Practices
a) Cultural / Mechanical

 Collect and destroy the uzi infested silkworms and uzi maggots and pupa
 Keep the rearing house floor free from cracks and crevices
 Uzi infested larvae spin cocoons a day or two earlier than other silkworms and such
cocoons are flimsy and bad quality
3
  Fixing wire mesh or nylon mesh to the window of the rearing house
 Use nylon net enclosure to the rearing stand
 Construct anteroom would physically prevent uzi fly entering the rearing house
 Ensure for the uzifly before shifting mulberry leaf from outside to inside the rearing
house

Physical Method
1. Uzitrap

 It attracts and kill the adult uzifly

 One packet containing 12 tablets is required for rearing 100 dfls.
 The product is in the form of yellow round tablet weighing approximately 2.5 g.
 Dissolve 1 tablet in one litre of water to get yellow coloured solution
 Keep the uzi trap solution in white coated tray both inside and outside the rearing
house near to doors and at the base of windows
 It is used from Third instar onwards upto spinning
 It is safe to silkworm and ecofriendly
 Attracts both the sexes

2. Light and sticky trap

 Attract the adult uzifly towards light source in the rearing room two hours after
keeping the room dark and placing a sticky board below the light source to trap the
adults uzifly

Chemical Method

1.Uzi Powder

 It is an ovicidal dust formulation used to kill the eggs of uzifly on silkworm larval
body
 It is developed by KSSR & DI
 It is dusted on the body of silkworms (3 g/sq.ft)
 2nd day of 3rd instar to spinning stage on alternate days except during moulting
 Uzi powder should be dusted after bed cleaning and silkworms should be fed half an
hour after dusting.
 5 kg uzi powder is required for 100 dfls

2. Uzicide

 It is an ovicidal liquid formulation of benzoic acid Developed by CSR & TI Mysuru

 It is sprayed on the body of silkworms starting from 2nd day of III instar to Spinning
stage on alternate days except during moulting
 Uzicide should be sprayed after bed cleaning or 2 to 3 hours after feeding
 Silkworms should be fed half an hour after spraying uzicide

4
  5 liters is required for rearing 100 dfls.

Bio control Agent

 Nesolynx thymus is a ecto-pupal parasitoid to kill the pupae of uzifly

 Its adults are released in the rearing house, place of mounting and Mountage storing
room at 1 lakh adults for every 100 DFL’s
 3 Split doses : 8000- third day of IV instar

16000 –Third day of fifth instar

76000 – on the day of cocoon harvest

DERMESTID BEETLES

 Dermestes ater, Dermestes cadverinus, Attagenus fasiatus a have been reported to

attack silkworm cocoons
 The most important species of dermestid beetle prevalent in egg production centers is
Dermestes ater
 Dermetes ater belongs to family :Dermestidae and order: Coleoptera
 The pest prevails throughout the year
 It is black in colour and measures about 7mm in length
 Grubs of this beetle are also black in colour and are covered with bristles (‘hairs’)

Life cycle

Life cycle completes within 40-50 days

 Fecundity :150-250 eggs are laid on the floss of the cocoon

 Hatching: 3-6 days

 Grub period: 4 weeks with 7 instars

 Pupal period :8-10 days

Nature of damage

 These are known to attack pierced cocoons in cocoon storage rooms

 The grubs cause more damage than adults
 The infested cocoons (especially seed and stifled cocoons) show the presence of
multiple irregular holes on them and pupae
 The beetles migrate from cocoon storage room to grainage and attack green cocoons
as well as moths also
 Generally they attack the abdominal region of the moth
 The highest infestation of cocoon (48 % )was caused by the grubs of seventh instar
where as minimum of 20 % by fourth instar grubs infestation

5
Preventive measures

 Storage of rejected cocoons and perished eggs for long period should be avoided
 Rearing house & cocoon storage rooms should be cleaned periodically
 Grainage premises should be cleaned before & after moth emergence
 Provide wire mesh to door & windows in pierced cocoon (PC) storage rooms
 Wooden articles of storage room & grainage should be dipped in 0.2% malathion
solution for 2-3 minutes. Trays etc., should be thoroughly washed & sun dried for 2-3
days before reusing.

Mechanical control

 Collect the grubs and adults by sweeping or by using a vacuum cleaner, destroy by
burning or dipping in soap water

Chemical control

 Store pierced cocoons in Deltamethrin treated bags ie., soak the bags in 0.028 %
Deltamethrin solution (1 ltr : 100 ltr water) and dry in shade
 Spray 0.028% Deltamethrin solution on walls and floor of PC room once in 3 months
 Sprinkle bleaching powder (200 gm/sq.mt) all around inner wall of PC room to
prevent crawling of grubs from PC room

EARWIG

 Scientific Name : Labia arachidis

 Dermoptera :Labiidae
 It is known to attack moths in grainage
 Female moths are attacked by adults of earwig
 Nymph donot attack on moths
 Earwig hold the abdomen of moths with the help of mandibles and pinch with forceps
like cerci
 Black scar develop on the moth at the point of damage black fluid oozes out
 Damaged moths lay less number of eggs after mating and eggs covered with black
fluid

ANTS

 The ants causes considerable damage to rearers by attacking the silkworms while
rearing, mounting, pupae, adults and eggs in grainage and cocoons in the market yard,
reeling unit and in filature
 Fire ants :Solenopsis geminate known to infest the stored cocoons
 Ants damage the stifled and stored cocoons by cutting the silk fibre making holes of
3.50-3.65 mm and feed on dead pupae

6
Management :

 Ant wells filled with water is used to prevent the damage of ants
 Raksha rekha is used to avoid ants

NON INSECT PESTS

Straw itchmite

 Scientific name: Pediculoides ventricosus

 The mite is an ectoparasite which is accidentally transported to the rearing house
along with bamboo and attacks silkworm larvae
 Affected silkworm lose appetite and become inactive
 Difficulty in excreting, the excreta are attached in the form of bead
 Vomit green fluid and excretes black fluid
 Pulsation of the dorsal blood vessel becomes slower and irregular and dies

Management

 Treating the material with acaricide before taking into rearing house

LIZARDS

 Lizards pick and eat the first and second instar silkworms in the rearing house cause
considerable damage

RATS

 Rats eat grown up silkworms in rearing trays and ripe silkworms on mountages

 During spinning , cut the cocoons and feed on spinning silkworms leaving a silkgland
on mountages

 In grainage and filature units, Pupae inside the cocoons are eaten by rats

 The cocoons damaged by rat is not unfit for reeling

SQUIRRELS AND BIRDS

 Both eat the silkworm and pupae after biting open cocoons

7
 SILKWORM DISEASES

In silkworm diseases are mainly divided

a) Infectious disease
• Infectious diseases is primarily caused by the entry of micro-organisms
• It includes biotic factors

b) Non infectious diseases

• Non infectious diseases is caused by the mechanical damage, chemicals i.e., pesticide
and insecticides
• It includes abiotic factors viz. Adverse environment, deficiencies caused by poor
nutritional quality of mulberry leaf

Silkworm diseases are categorized into

• Fungal diseases
• Bacterial diseases
• Viral diseases
• Protozoan diseases

Entry of these pathogens mainly through

• Per orally - Bacteria and virus
• Through Integument-Fungi

FUNGAL DISEASES

The fungal disease of silkworm is commonly known as Muscardine disease. The word
Muscardine is originated from Italian word “ Muscardino” means “musk-comfit”.

There are different types of muscardine diseases named according to the colour of the
conidia viz .,

a)White Muscardine–Beauveria bassiana

b) Brown Muscardine–Aspergillus sp.
c) Green Muscardine–Nomuraea rileyi
d) Yellow Muscardine –Paecilomyces farinosa
e) Red Muscardine –Sporosprella uvella
f) Yellow-Red Muscardine –Paecilomyces fumosorosea
g) Purplish-red Muscardine –Spicaria rubida - purpurea
h) Orange Muscardine - Sterigmatocystis japonica
i) Pencillosis Muscardine – Pencillium citrium
 WHITE MUSCARDINE

• This white muscardine diseases is commonly known as Sunna kattu roga or Sunna
kaddi roga in Karnataka and Chena ketu or Chitti in West Bengal
• Fourth and fifth instar larvae, moulting worms are more susceptible to white
muscardine
• In 1835 Italian scientist Agostino Bassi de Lodi showed that the disease actually
caused by fungus and later named as Beauveria bassiana

Seasonal Occurrence
• The disease prevails during winter and rainy season
Source of Infection
• Mummified/diseased silkworms in the rearing bed
• Pathogen persisting in the silkworm rearing house and appliances and air-borne germs
in rearing environment
• Several agriculture pests and wild insects serve as an alternate hosts (The alternate
host of Beauveria bassiana have a great significance in developing an epizootic in
the silkworm rearing during the favorable seasons. It infects over 400 species of
lepidopteran insects, Spodoptera litura, Diacrisia oblique, Diaphania indica, Diaphania
pulverulentalis, Plusia sp. Plusia festucae)
• Contaminated mulberry leaves

Route of infection
• The mode of infection is per cutaneous (through skin), tracheae and wounds
• The infectious conidia grow and penetrate through the integument and establish
infection in silkworm larval body
Factors responsible for disease incidence
• Low temperature (22-24 ⁰C) and high humidity (above 80 %)
• Overcrowding of silkworm in the rearing bed/ tray
• Irregular bed cleaning, irregular feeding (Under feeding and starvation)

SYMPTOMS
Egg stage
• Infected eggs are paler and conidia may be observed on the egg surface
• Fungal mycelium may also be observed inside and outside the infected egg
• Infected eggs do not hatch

Larval stage
• The infected larvae loses appetite, inactive and on death flaccid
• Vomiting and diarrhoea is also be observed
• The larval body becomes less elastic and oil stain like or black marks without clear
border seen on the body surface at the entry of fungal spore
• Dead larvae gradually become harder and mummifies
• The fungus overgrow the larvae, develops fruiting body and produce conidia on the
surface giving white colour to the mummified diseased silkworm
• The entire larval body except head become covered with powdery material (Mycelial
growth) and look like white stick
• Larvae don't rotten

Pupal stage
• The thoracic region shrinks and abdomen become wrinkle
• The pupa may have black spots and the mummified pupa is hard, lighter and white.
• The fungus seen coming out through inter-segmental region

Moth stage
• Infected moths are sluggish with deformed wings
• The dead moth becomes hard, light, mummified and white

ASPERGILLUS
• Aspergillus species have been known to be pathogenic to silkworms since the latest
part of 19th century
• Aspergillosis was first noticed in Japan (Aoki, 1971), Thailand (Aoki,1973) then in
India
• This disease is commonly called `Kojic kabi’ in Japan and also known as brown
muscardine
• This disease is common in Japan, Thailand and China
 • First and second instar silkworms are more susceptible compared to fourth and fifth
instar silkworm
• Favorable conditions high temperature (27-28 ⁰C) and high humidity (85-90 %)

The following species of Aspergillus are pathogenic to silkworm

Aspergillus flavus Link
Aspergillus oryzae Wehmer
Aspergillus tamarii Kita
Aspergillus ochraceus Wilhelm
Aspergillus terreus Thom
Aspergillus flavipes
Aspergillus melleus
Aspergillus clavatus
Aspergillus fumigatus Fresenius
Aspergillus niger
Aspergillus elegans
Aspergillus parasiticus
Aspergillus sojae Yam
Aspergillus versicolor

SYMPTOM

Infect early stages

▪ Inactive & lustrous
▪ Die without clear morphological symptom
▪ Cluster of mycelial growth observed (Brown colour)
In later instars
▪ Silkworm become hard at the site of infection and die due to production of aflotoxin
▪ Rotting of silkworm body initiates after death due to secondary bacterial infection

CONTROL MEASURES FOR MUSCARDINE DISEASE

• Infected larvae should be picked up and burnt

• Maintain good ventilation and proper humidity in rearing room
• Regulate humidity by dusting lime at the time of each moult and in between.
• Apply bed disinfectants as per recommended schedule and time
• Provide quality leaves and maintain proper spacing during rearing. Avoid dusty
leaves.
• Follow strict disinfection of rearing house, rearing appliances and surrounding area
• Practice proper disinfection of silkworm egg surface
• Maintain hygienic conditions during rearing
• As a specific measure, dust Diathene M-45 in Kaolin or Captan in slaked lime on
silkworm body immediately after every moult as per following schedule.
 • I-II instar -1% dust
• III-V instar-2% dust
• Dust formalin chaff to silkworm body. The formalin chaff is prepared by partially
burning paddy husk and mix formalin of 0.6% to 0.8% concentration (0.6% for
chawki and 0.8% for late stage) in the ratio of 10:1.
• The chaff is sprinkled uniformly on the silkworms 30 minutes before feeding.
• Dust bed disinfectant Vijetha, as per recommended schedule and quantity.
• As a specific measure, dust Vijetha supplement after every moult and on 3rd day IV
instar, 2nd and 6th day of V instar.
• Alternatively, apply Reshamkeet Oushadh / Resham Sanjeevini / Resham Jyothi /
Labex after every moult and on 4th day of V instar

PEBRINE
• The microsporidiosis in silkworm is commonly known as Pebrine
• It is known as “GANTU ROGA” in Karnataka , “KATA” OR “MATAKATA” in
West Bengal
• During 1845, pebrine disease was first noticed in France
• “Dequadrefagues” named the disease as pebrine during1860
• In India, during1866 was reported from Mysuru
• Causal organism : Nosema bombycis

Seasonal Occurrence
• The pebrine disease incidence appears to more during summer season compared to
winter and rainy season
Source of infection
• The vomited fluid and faeces of the diseased silkworms and dead larvae
• Pathogen persisting in rearing environment, rearing house, rearing bed and appliances
• Contaminated mulberry and surface contaminated egg shell.
• Mulberry and agricultural pests and wild insects as alternate hosts for the pathogen

Route of infection:

• The mode of infection is per orally through contaminated mulberry leaves

• Transovarial transmission
From infected mother moth to embryo (one generation to another generation)
• Transovum transmission
From the contaminated egg surface at the time of hatching
 SYMPTOMS

Egg stage

• The number of eggs laid by infected moth is less and do not firmly attach to the egg
sheet
• Eggs laid in clumps
• The number of dead and unfertilized eggs is higher
• The hatching is irregular and number of hatched eggs is fewer
• Slightly infected eggs do not show any specific symptoms

Larval stage

• Un equal size of the worms in the same tray

• The diseased larvae will have poor appetite, retarded growth, undersized and flaccid
• The larvae are comparatively paler, translucent and delays to moult
• The larvae exhibit wrinkled skin with rustic brown colour of the body especially on
the caudal horn and lateral to the prolegs
• Pepper like spots appears on the larval body due to melanosis
• The silk gland will have white pustules on its surface
• The dead larvae remain rubbery for long time and then turn black

Pupal stage

• Cocoons spun by the pebrinised silkworms are flimsy, malformed and less coloured
with thin ends and less raw silk content
• Diseased pupa becomes lusterless and relatively less reactive to tactile stimulus
• The abdomen softens and irregular black spots appear on the body wall
• Highly infected pupae may fails to metamorphose into adults

Moth stage

• Delayed moth emergence

• Deformed wings, black spots on wing
• Pebrinized moth develop clubbed wings
• Moths are naked without abdominal scales
• Shedding of scales from wings and body
• Poor mating and egg laying capacity
• Complete inability to emerge in severe disease incidence
• Eggs laid by infected moth is loosely adhered to egg sheet
 Control measures of pebrine disease

• Follow strict mother moth microscopic examination method to produce disease free
layings
• Individual moth examination or group moth examination for industrial seed must be
resorted to, in order to eradicate pebrinized layings
• Periodical microscopic examination of silkworm larvae during rearing
• If pebrine spores are detected, the whole lot should be discarded /rejected
• Carry out surface sterilization of disease free layings by dipping egg cards in 2%
formalin solution for 10 minutes followed by washing in running water
• Follow strict disinfection of rearing room, appliances and surroundings of rearing area
• Maintain strict sanitation and hygienic conditions during rearing
• Apply bed disinfectant as per recommended schedule and quantity
• Infected silkworm faeces and bed refuse are important source of infection and should
be disposed off to prevent cross infection and spread of disease
• Control alternate insect host for Nosema bombycis in and around mulberry garden

BACTERIAL DISEASES

❖ Bacterial flacherie
❖ It is a syndrome characterized by flaccidity of the larval body
❖ Flaccidity is caused by bacteria is referred as bacterial flacherie
❖ Both certain bacteria and viruses are individually or in combination causes syndrome

Depending upon the symptoms and causal organisms

1. Bacteremia: Streptococcus faecalis, Streptococcus faecium and Staphylococci
It is known as bacterial disease of digestive track

2. Bacterial Septicemia : Bacillus species and Serretia marcescens

3.Bacterial toxicosis : Bacillus thuringiensis var. sotto

It is known as “Sotto” disease

1.Bacteremia
• The multiplication of bacteria takes place in digestive organ
• Disease development is chronic type

Symptoms
✓ Cephalic region become translucent and develop diarrhoea
• In advance stage
• Posterior region become translucent
• Loss of appetite
• Sluggishness
 • Retarded growth

3. Bacterial Septicemia
• Acute disease
• Bacterial multiply rapidly in the haemolymph
Symptoms
o Larvae become sluggish and less appetite
o Swollen thorax and Vomiting
o Shrinkage of abdominal segments with dark green colour
o Larva loose clasping power of leg
o Body of diseased silkworm become soft, discoloured and body wall ruptures easily
liberating foul smell
o Silkworm shortly after death develop dark greenish tinge on dorso thoracic region
later extend to whole body

4. Bacterial toxicosis
• Endotoxin is produced by the Bacillus thuringiensis var. sotto
• Acute disease
Symptoms
❖ Loose appetite and sluggish
❖ Dorsal blood vessel pulsate at rapid rate
❖ Larvae wriggle because of severe pain
❖ Larvae lifts its head up and develop spasm, Vomit juice, paralyse, collapse and dies
❖ Head appears to be bend hook shaped
❖ Dead larvae hard to touch and produce foul smell

Rangi/ Court disease - Serretia marcesens

Minor bacterial disease
Body of infected worm appears red due to pigment produced by the bacterium
Mechanical damage to worms should be avoided.
Predisposing factor
• Fluctuation in temperature, high humidity and poor quality of leaf
• Source of Infection
• Contaminated mulberry leaf
• Dead and diseased larvae , Faecal matter, gut juice and body fluid of infected larvae
• Through cut injury and wounds

Route of Infection
• The mode of infection is per os (through mouth)
 VIRAL DISEASES
• Nuclear polyhedrosis Virus
• Cytoplasmic Virus
• Infectious flacherie Virus
• Densonucleus virus

NUCLEAR POLYHEDROSIS VIRUS

• Nuclear polyhedrosis commonly known as ‘Grasserie or Milky disease’ or ‘Hanging

disease’.
• Virus multiply in the nucleus of cell
Seasonal Occurrence
• The disease prevails all through the year and is more common in summer and rainy
seasons.

Source of Infection
• The grasserie diseased silkworms and their body fluid.
• Pathogen persisting in silkworm rearing house, appliances and silkworm waste in the
rearing environment.
• Alternate hosts
Route of Infection
• The mode of infection is per os (through mouth).

Factors responsible for disease incidence

• Low temperature (< 20°C) and high temperature (above 28°C)
• High humidity (>80%) or low humidity (<40%)
• Inferior quality mulberry leaf with low protein and carbohydrate

Symptoms

• At the early stage of infection, the infected silkworm appears normal

• During the later stage of infection, the diseased larvae will have characteristic
“swollen inter-segmental” region
• The larvae do not settle for moult and develop shining integument, yellowish larval
body hyperactiveness, aimless crawling around the edge of rearing tray
• The integument will be fragile and breaks easily oozing turbid milky fluid
• Infected larvae appears like bamboo stick
• The diseases larvae hanging head downwards with its claws on mountages

CYTOPLASMIC POLYHEDROSIS VIRUS

• Virus multiply in the cytoplasm of cell

• Slow growth of the larvae, Flaccid condition
• Irregular moulting, vomiting and dull white body colour
• Midgut of diseased larvae appears opaque and milky white from posterior end to
anterior region of midgut
• Later stage entire midgut appears chalky white
• Disintegrated polyhedral and epithelial cells get mixed in faeces and excrete whitish
green chain excreta
• Rectal protrusion is common symptom

INFECTIOUS FLACHERIE VIRUS

• Virus multiply in goblet cells of anterior midgut

• A typical symptom appears at early stage of Larvae
• Feed less and lethargic
• Thoracic and abdominal portion are stunted ingrowth
• Heads of infected worms appears disappropriately enlarged compered to healthy
worms
• Irregular shaped chain like excreta
• Vomiting of gut fluid
• Body turns transparent and gut filled with brownish fluid
• Infected silkworm survive longer period with retarded growth and variation in
moulting

DENSONUCLEOSIS VIRUS (KENCHU VIRUS)

• BmDNV-1 and BmDNV-2

• Virus multiply in columnar cells of midgut epithelium
• Flaccidity of the larval body
• The cephalothoracic region is translucent
• The pale yellow colour of the alimentary tract
• Lethargic and lose of appetite
• Later stage of infection
• Retarded growth, becomes dull, vomit gut juice and faeces becomes soft with high
moisture content

GENERAL CONTROL MEASURES TO CONTROL SILKWORM DISEASE

• Follow strict disinfection of rearing houses, rearing equipments and surrounding

areas.
• Rear only disease free layings.
• Infected layings should be isolated through strict moth examination and discarded.
• Control mulberry pests (alternate hosts of muscardine causing pathogens) in the field
and provide disease free and quality leaves according to age of silkworms.
• Maintain strict sanitation and hygienic conditions during rearing.
• Enhance vigour of silkworms by providing suitable and timely feeding. This will
enhance resistance against disease.
• Isolate sick and diseased worms and dispose off properly.
• Maintain appropriate spacing during rearing.
• Isolate infected material/equipment and follow strict disinfection.
• Faeces (silkworm litter) and bed refuse should be disposed of properly by burying it.
• Adjust the humidity of rearing room and trays.
• Dust lime at the time of each moult.
• Apply bed disinfectant (Vijetha/Labex/RKO) as per recommended schedule and time.
• Intensive rearing management and close monitoring is essential.
 GRAINAGE TECHNIQUES

The success of sericulture industry mainly depends on two important factors

a) The race of the silkworm reared should be superior and spin commercially good quality of
cocoon

b) Healthy and hygienic rearing must be carried out by providing optimum conditions and
quality of leaves

“Silkworm layings (eggs) are called as seeds”

Characteristics of silkworm layings :

 One which is entirely free from diseases,

 Has more number of viable eggs
 Gives uniform hatching
 Assures a stable cocoon crop

There are two types of silkworm egg production

1. Reproductive seeds: this is used for multiplication of breeds

2. Industrial seeds : this is used for commercial silkworm rearing (Reeling purpose)

A) REPRODUCTIVE SEEDS

 Reproductive seeds, which are used for the purpose of producing the parents of the
seeds used for commercial seeds (Industrial seeds)
 The main objective is to maintain racial purity
 These are produced only in special breeding centres by the technically qualified
persons
 These are often multiplied in number in a series of breeding centres called as
BREEDING STATIONS
 Multiplication includes three or four stages in order to ensure that racial characters are
not diluted during multiplication stages
 Generally, three stage and four stage (tier) multiplication is carried out
a) In order to preserve the racial character
b) To avoid mixing up of the races
 Each stage of multiplications are carried out in different stations rather than in same
place
 Three tier system : production of reproductive seeds of multivotine races(Cross
breed or pure breed )
 Four tier system : production of reproductive seeds of exotic pure breed races of
bivoltine and rare multivoltine races
 B) INDUSTRIAL SEEDS/ COMMERCIAL SEEDS

 “Industrial Seeds are produced in mass and supplied to rearers”

 The following details /information should be given to commercial rearer along with
silkworm layings

a) Race of parents
b) Date of egg layings
c) Expected date of hatching
d) Certificate : Disease free layings

 Commercial seeds are always F1 hybrids, it includes Multivoltine× Bivoltine and

Bivoltine ×Bivoltine hybrids
 F1 hybrids are also used to produce double cross hybrids
 Commercial seeds are produced in special organization is called as „GRAINAGES‟
 It is government owned
 Licensed private rearers also run the grainage

SILKWORM SEED PRODUCTION

Silkworm seed production takes place in three distinct levels

• Breeders stock
• Basic seed multiplication
• Industrial seed production

BREEDERS STOCK

 The breeder's stock maintenance should be the responsibility of breeders of Research

Institutes, which in turn should supply the basic seed for further multiplication

 The breeder's stocks will be multiplied 3-4 times in a year (favourable months) and
the different multiplication levels are designated as P4, P3, P2 and P1

 A three tier system is considered more ideal and efficient which is followed in all
sericulturally advanced countries

 The breeder's stock and multiplication centres should be under the control of
Government agencies and well trained persons

BASIC SEED MULTIPLICATION

P4-Great great grand parent

P3- Great grand parent
P2- Grand parent
P1- Parent
P stands for parent generation
 P4 BREEDING STATIONS / RACE BREEDING STATION

 This level of multiplication is carried out only in India and that too, only for the exotic
pure breed races of biovoltine and for rare multivoltine races
 They are also called as Race Breeding Stations and represent the major germplasm
sources of the races preserved in these stations
 Their organisation and functioning are similar to the P3 stations of other countries
 The number of races preserved, maintained and multiplied in these stations is very
few
P3 BREEDING STATIONS/ RACE BREEDING STATION

 Normally, the seeds of multivoltine mulberry silkworm races are multiplied in a three-
tier system starting from the P3 stations
 These stations, functioning under government control, are the major germplasm banks
of the races and undertake breeding research also
 They are the places where the great grand parents of the commercial seeds are
multiplied
 They rear only pure breeds and no hybridisation is done in this stations
 Each laying of a pure race is reared by the cellular method and mounted separately
and there is no mass rearing of even the same race
 Only technically qualified persons are entrusted with rearing
 The number of layings brushed at a time is dependent on the number of seed cocoons
required for commercial preparation of hybrid layings
 In the case of bivoltine cocoons, 20% cocoons are selected for P2 laying preparation
and for multivoltine 40% selection is considered ideal
 Selection is done by visual observation of cocoon size, shape, grains, compactness
and quantitative cocoon assessment

P2/FOUNDATION STOCK SEED

 A large number of P2 farms have been established for this purpose in addition to
licenced seed rearers, they receive the seed cocoons for rearing from the breeding
station above them, i.e. P3 stations
 Here also multiplication of pure races is done and no hybridisation carried out
 Mass brushing (5 dfls per bed) is conducted and the quantum decided in proportion to
the requirement of parent seed (P1)
 The number of layings brushed each time should not exceed 100-150
 About 40% of the bivoltine cocoons and 60% of the multivoltine cocoons are visually
selected for preparation of P1 dfls
 P2 stations send 25% of their best cocoons of each laying to the next station
 The remainder is used either for replenishing the stock or for reeling
 P1/FOUNDATION HYBRIDS

 This is the last stage of seed multiplication in a three-tier system

 The P1 layings are obtained from P1 grainages and reared here as well as by LSR in
notified areas
 It is common practice to rear P1 seed cocoons with selected cocoon growers either in
seed areas or with adopted farmers in hybrid seed areas
 They receive seeds from P2 stations
 The seed cocoons are mass reared and first hybridisation of double crosses is done
here and the hybrids produced are called Foundation hybrids
 The station send 25% of the cocoons produced to grainages or to seed cocoon rearers
for rearing the seed cocoons which act as parents for commercial layings

ONE WAY SEED MULTIPLICATION

 SEED AREA CONCEPT

 The success of sericulture industry mainly depend upon the seed organizations for
raising the parental seed cocoons for both the bivoltine and multivoltine races to
produce free layings
 Objectives

a) Maintain basic seed purity

b) Maintain basic seed vigour and vitality
c) Eventually to ensure an uninterrupted supply of parental seed cocoons as per the
requirements of commercial grainage

1. Multivoltine seed area

2. Bivoltine seed area

MULTIVOLTINE SEED AREA

Legally restricted are where pure multivoltine silkworm eggs are produced on scientific basis
under strict supervision

This seed area exclusively for the production of multivoltine race

a)Kunigal Taluk (Tumakur district)

b)Magadi Taluk (Ramanagar district)
c) Hebbur hobli (Tumakur district)

Seed cocoon markts are located in Huliyurdurga, Magadi, Solur and Kempanahalli

BIVOLTINE SEED AREA

 Government of Karnataka has also established bivoltine seed area to cater the needs
of the private licensed seed producers (LSP‟s)
 Silkworm seed production centre (SSPCs) also involved in the production of
bivoltine hybrids/ cross breeds dfl‟s

Bivoltine seed areas are

a)Anekal (Bangalore rural district)

b) K.R. Pet (Mandya district)
c)Belgaum (Begaum district)
d)Hassan (Except Arakalgud taluk)

Most of the seed cocoons from Anekal, K.R pet and Hassan seed area
 GRAINAGAE

 Grainages are the centres for production of large scale quantities of disease free
layings (dfls) of silkworm.

 Grainages produce pure and hybrid seeds.

 These centres are more popular as commercial egg production centres because they
have a direct link with seed rearers.

 These centres encourage progressive farmers and seed rearers to produce seeds
commercially.

 Farmers always intense to produce good quality cocoons, hence the they look forward
to the Grainage for the supply of high vigour disease free commercial seeds.

 These seeds produce cocoons with rich silk content and high yield.

Location of the grainage

 Usually, industrial grainages are located in the cooler areas of the sericultural belt.
 It will be ideal, if the grainages are located in the heart of the sericulturally
concentrated areas to enable quick transportation of eggs or larvae.
 lf the grainage is located at a far-off place, it might be necessary to have a number of
lncubation centres or sales points to supply the seed to rearers. This arrangement may
prove expensive.
 lt is cheaper and convenient to locate it near the sericultural areas
 The industrial grainage cannot be located in seed areas which are isolated by seed
legislation.
 The grainage should be located where basic facilities like water, power, labour,
transport and adequate space for construction of the building are available.

Facilities in Grainage

 Facility for procuring and storage room for seed cocoons

 Sex separating and pupa storage rooms
 Moth emergence and coupling rooms
 Oviposition room
 Incubation room
 Cold storage room
 Mother moth examination room
 Mulberry garden
 Only trained persons are allowed to carry different operation in grainage
Model grainage building

Steps in seed production

1. Procurement of seed cocoons from the P1

2. Selection and storage of cocoons
3. Moth emergence
4. Pairing
5. Depairing
6. Oviposition
7. Mother moth examination
8. Egg treatment
9. Handling of bivoltine eggs
10. Postponement of egg hatching

1. Procurement of seed cocoons from the P1

a) Procurement of seed cocoons from the P1 seed rearers to produce F1 dfl‟s (Cross
breed / bivoltine hybrids)
b) Immediately after receiving the seed cocoons, they are spread in thin layer to expel
the heat, moisture and carbon dioxide which is accumulated during the course of
transportation
2. Selection and storage of cocoons
a. Removal of flimsy cocoon, melted cocoons, uzi pierced cocoons, malformed cocoons
and urinated cocoon
b. The floss of the selected is removed to facilitate the easy emergence of moth
c. Selected cocoons spread over the news paper in plastic tray size 2 × 3 feet dimension
 d. Maintain optimum temperature of 23-26 ºC , RH of 70-80 per cent, 10 hours light and
14 hours of dark
e) One day before emergence, perforated news paper is placed over the cocoons
f) Seed cocoons are refrigerated at 4-5 ºC for 3-5 days to synchronize the eclosion during
cross breed layings preparation
g) Sexing should be done during pupal stage by cutting the seed cocoons and placing
them on news paper

3. Moth emergence

a. Moth emergence occurs mainly during morning hours i.e., 12-14 days after spinning
Multivoltine : 10-12 days
Bivoltine : 12-15 days

b. On the day of moth emergence, light is provided during morning hours i.e., at 5 am mainly
to induce emergence
c. Emergence of moths starts from 5-6 am
d. Male emerges first followed by female
e. Sexing can also be done at moth stage
4. Pairing (Coupling)

 Male and female moths collected separately

 Each male and female is placed in cellule and allowed to pairing for 3-4 hours
 When the number of male moths are less, males can be preserved at 5 °C for 3-5 days
and used for pairing for 2nd mating for 2 days

5. Depairing (Decoupling)

After 4 hours of pairing, depairing is done by holding the abdomen of the both male and
female moths by twisting on anti-clockwise direction

 Depaired female moths are place on the egg card or sheet for 24 hours
 It should be covered with individual or composite cellules
 Oviposition is allowed in darkness, temperature of 25±1 °C and RH of 75±5 per
cent
 Depaired female moths first placed on sieve or on paper to discharge of waste fluid
(Meconium)
 Eggs are produced in

1. Egg card
2. Loose egg production
7. Mother moth examination

 To detect pebrine disease of silkworm, Nosema bombycis, since it spread

transovarian, transovum and per oral transmission
 In grainage this disease is managed by MME developed by Louis Pasteur
 a. Individual : each individual female moth is subjected for examination
b. Sample method : 20 per cent of female moths from each lot are inspected
c. Mass mother moth : female moths are picked randomly by following the principle of
statistical sampling
Steps

1. Collection of moth :
 Collect 20 moths and add 80 ml of 0.6 per cent K2Co3 solution (6 g in 1 l of
water)
2. Crushing of moths :
 For 2 min at medium speed to release spores from infected tissues
3. Setting :
 Transfer the homogenate from mixture cups onto the plastic beakers, allow
the content to settle for 2-3 min
4. Filtering :
 Arrange 8 centrifuge tube serially in the centrifuge tube stand. Arrange the
funnels over each tubes and place cotton wad in each funnel
 Filter the separated layer slowly through absorbent cotton placed in funnel into
centrifuge tubes. Leave it for one or two minutes to complete the filtering
process
5. Centrifugation:
 Balance the centrifuge tubes by using 0.6 % K2CO3 solution
 Place centrifuge tube in centrifuge
 Centrifuge the filtrate @ 3000 rpm for 3 min
6. Suspension / dissolving the sediment :
 Slowly decant solution without disturbing the sediment
 Dissolve the sediment in 5-6 drops of 0.6 % K2CO3 solution
6. Microscopic examination :
 Place a droplet of sediment on clean micro slide and cover with micro covers
 Examine under 600 x magnification
 Examine 5 fields per smear
7. Certification :
 Lot should be certified as DFL‟s for further processing if it is infected whole
batch is rejected
8.Egg treatment :

 Disease free eggs are dipped in 2 % formalin for 10-15 min

2 objectives
a. Helps to kill the pathogen on egg surface of on egg sheet
b. Secondary facilitates firm adherence of the egg to egg sheet
Multivoltine egg will not undergo hibernation Bi/Univoltine undergo hibernation

 Pale red colour– 40 hour

 Dark purple – 80 hour
  The silkworm egg diapause can be prevented by treating with hydrochloric
acid and make it to hatch after 10 days

2 types of acid treatment to break the diapause

1. Cold acid treatment
2. Hot acid treatment
Hot acid treatment
 By dipping the egg cards in hot hydrochloric acid of specific gravity 1.064 at 46.1 °C
 Eggs should be dipped for 5-6 min depending upon breeds
 Washing in running water to remove acid
 Keep it for incubation
Cold acid treatment
 Dip the egg cards in hydrochloric acid of specific gravity of 1.104 @ temperature of
25 °C for one hour
 Wash the eggs in running water to remove acid
 Allow the eggs for drying
 Keep it for incubation

9. Handling of bivoltine eggs
 The most popular method is allow full establishment of diapause and terminating by
preserving them under low temperature for specific period
 This technique is known as hibernation schedule
a) 4 months schedule
b) 6 months schedule
c) 10 months schedule
Four Months Schedule
 Parental breeds and their productive hybrids can be released 20 days in advance from
the due date
 The preservation of eggs under this schedule can be safely extended by another 30
days from the actual due date of release without affecting the hatching percentage

temp days
25 ºC 10
20 ºC 3
15 ºC 3
10 ºC 2
5 ºC 50
2.5 ºC 60
10 ºC 1
15 ºC 2
Releasing 131
of eggs
 Six Months Schedule

 Bivoltine eggs can safely be released 30 days before the actual due date
 Preservation of parental breeds can be safely prolonged to 30 days and their hybrids
for 45 days without scarifying economic traits and hatching rate

temp days
25 ºC 10
20 ºC 5-7
15 ºC 5-7
10 ºC 5-7
5 ºC 40
2.5 ºC 96-100
10 ºC 1
15 ºC 2
Releasing 184
of eggs

Ten month schedule

 Bivoltine breeds and their hybrids preserved under 10 month schedule can be safely
released 50 days early from the actual due date of release
 Prolongation of eggs from the due to preserved under 10 month schedule is not
advisible
 This is mainly due to the weakness occurring after the depletion of cryoprotectants
(Sorbitol and glycerol) in hibernated eggs after prolonged cold storage

temp days
25 ºC 60
20 ºC 40
15 ºC 20
10 ºC 20
5 ºC 60
2.5 ºC 60
5 ºC 1
15 ºC 3
5 ºC 1
2.5 ºC 40
10 ºC 1
15 ºC 2
Releasing 298
of eggs
10.Postponement of egg hatching

 Eggs can be cold stored at 5⁰C upto 20 days to post pone hatching
 In cold storage humidity of 75-80 % is maintained
 SILKWORM EGG PRODUCTION
1. Loose Egg Production
 Loose egg production getting more popular because of
a)Standard and uniform egg number
b) Increased egg recovery
c)Easy and better management

Advantages of Loose Egg Production

 Superior quality of eggs
 Uniform and known quantity irrespective of race/season
 Scientific evaluation is possible
 Increased egg recovery
 High percentage of hatchability
 Easy for surface sterilization of eggs
 Easy for acid treatment of bivoltine eggs
 This method is more economical than egg card method
 Unfertilized eggs can be easily eliminated

Materials required for loose egg production

Parental seed cocoons

a) Cellules
b) Moth collection tray
c) Pestle and mortar
d) Microscope
e) Glass slides &Cover slips
f) KOH/K2Co3 and HCl
g) Formalin
h) Acid treatment bath
i) Hydrometer
j) Thermometer
k) Timer

Steps in Loose Egg Production

1. Procurement of seed cocoons
2. Sorting and storage
3. Preparation of gum sheets
4. Pairing and depairing of moths
5. Oviposition
6. Collection of loose eggs
7. Removal of gum
8. Drying of eggs
9. Acid treatment

1
 10. Removal of acid traces
11. Winnowing of eggs
12. Packing of eggs

1. Procurement of seed cocoons from the P1

a) Procurement of seed cocoons from the P1 seed rearers to produce F1 dfl’s (Cross
breed / bivoltine hybrids)
b) Immediately after receiving the seed cocoons, they are spread in thin layer to expel
the heat, moisture and carbon dioxide which is accumulated during the course of
transportation

Seed cocoon marketing norms

The seed cocoons purchased from seed rearers should satisfy all the norms given by the
grainages because
 P1 seed cocoon quality determines the quality of the hybrid seed
 Seed cocoons are purchased only after complete pupation at the grainage
 There should be no mixing of other races
 Seed cocoons to be purchased only after confirming disease freeness and after
fulfilling the norms
a)Live pupae must be above 80 % in the lot
b)Number of cocoons per kg must be between 550-700
c)Average cocoon yield per 100 DFL’s must be above 45 kg

2. Selection and storage of cocoons

a. Removal of flimsy cocoon, melted cocoons, uzi pierced cocoons, malformed cocoons
and urinated cocoon
b. The floss of the selected is removed to facilitate the easy emergence of moth
c. Selected cocoons spread over the news paper in plastic tray size 2 × 3 feet dimension
d. Maintain optimum temperature of 23-26 ºC , RH of 70-80 per cent, 10 hours light and
14 hours of dark
e) One day before emergence, perforated news paper is placed over the cocoons
f) Seed cocoons are refrigerated at 4-5 ºC for 3-5 days to synchronize the eclosion during
cross breed layings preparation
g) Sexing should be done during pupal stage by cutting the seed cocoons and placing
them on news paper

3. Preparation of gum sheets

 Starch coated craft sheets is prepared in well advance before the beginning of loose
egg production
 Use ordinary brown colour craft sheets of 65×95 cm size with 70-80 gsm

2
  Mix 100-120 g arrow root powder(or ordinary starch powder or corn flour) + 1 litre
water
 Boil 3 litre of water, while boiling add the starch mixture
 Add 10-15 g of boric acid to prevent fungal growth
 Continue boiling for 10 minute and allow the content to cool down at room
temperature
 Spread the craft paper on the table, using a foam pad give a thin coating of the starch
paper and dry the papers under shade
4. Pairing and Depairing
Pairing
 Male and female moths collected separately
 Each male and female is placed in cellule and allowed to pairing for 3-4 hours
 When the number of male moths are less, males can be preserved at 5 °C for 3-5 days
and used for pairing for 2nd mating for 2 days
Depairing
 After 4 hours of pairing, depairing is done by holding the abdomen of the both male
and female moths by twisting on anti-clockwise direction

5.Oviposition
 Spread the starched egg sheets in the oviposition tray
 Spread the female moths uniformly at the rate of 40-50 (Bivoltine) or 50-60
(multivoltine) moths per square foot in the ovipoistion tray
 Keep the trays on the oviposition stand and allow the moths to oviposit under the
dark condition
 Maintain optimum temperature of 25 ±1 ⁰C and relative humidity of 75 ± 5 % for
better egg recovery

6.Collection of loose eggs

 Conduct the mother moth examination as per the standard procedure (Fujiwara’s
centrifugal method of examination)
 Soak the disease free egg sheets in water for 20-30 minutes to dissolve the gum
 Spread the soaked egg sheet on the egg washing trays and release water
 Gently dislodge the eggs with hand
 The eggs get dislodged and are collected in to the nylon mesh bag

7.Removal of gum
 Prepare 0.4 percent bleaching powder solution and allow it to settle
 Dip the nylon bag with eggs in the bleaching powder solution and wash for 4-5
minutes
 Subsequently was thoroughly in running water

8.Drying of eggs

3
  Collect the eggs in nylon bag
 Gently squeeze out the water
 Spread the eggs in thin layer on the platform of the drying unit
 Switch on the fan

9.Acid treatment (BivoltineEggs)
 Bivoltine eggs are subjected for acid treatment to prevent the diapause
 Treating the eggs with hydrochloric acid , Commercial hydrochloric acid is available
with commercial grade 1.15 -1.18 specific gravity and 30 per cent hydrogen chloride
 How to prepare required Hcl solution?

10. Removal of acid traces

 Complete removal of acid traces after acid treatment is necessary to avoid irregular
hatching and poor hatching
 Dip the egg bag in fresh water tub
 Under the running water wash the eggs vigorously for 4-5minutes
 Tie the nylon bag to the tap allow the water to flow over the eggs continuously for
about 20-25 minutes,
 Splash the bag gently to remove the excess water content
 Spread the eggs on drying chamber and dry the eggs
 After drying spread the eggs on the plastic trays having the news paper as a base
 Preserve at 25 ⁰C, 85 % RH and 16h:18h (L:D) schedule

11.Winnowing of eggs
 Feed the eggs into the hopper of winnowing unit and switch on the fan
 Discard the lighter eggs which are blown away
 After winnowing collect the eggs in trays

12. Packing of eggs

 Weigh one gram of eggs on the electronic top loading balance and count them
 Calculate the weight of the egg to be packed i.e.

=17.64 or 18 g per box

 Packing should be carried out on the same day when the counting of eggs is carried
out to avoid variations in egg number
 Seal the egg box with sticker and indicate the
a) Name of the grainage
b) Lot number
c) Quantity

4
 d) Date of laying
e) Probable date of hatching
2. Cellular card method

 This is Japanese method is used in grainages in India

 Craft paper is divided into 4 rows and 5 compartment
 In each compartment place a female moth and covered with cellule to provide dark
condition to lay eggs
 After egg laying female moths are removed
 Mother moth examination is carried out to check the presence of pebrine spore

Method and materials required for the cellular egg card method is similar to loose egg
production but egg cards are used instead of craft paper

Incubation, Black boxing and Brushing

1. Incubation

“Incubation is the process of preserving silkworm eggs under optimum temperature

(25-26 ⁰C), relative humidity (75-80 %) and photoperiod (16 hours light/day) conditions
to facilitate proper development of embryo and ensure uniform hatching”

Importance of Incubation :
 To ensure proper development of the embryo.
 To ensure more than 95% hatching in a single day
 To maintain voltinism of a race
 To maintain vigour of the larvae
 To ensure quality and quantity of cocoon

Surface Sterilization
 Egg should be dipped in 2% formalin solution for 10-15 minute
 If eggs are not properly sterilized, the larvae become weak and die due to diseases
and form the source of secondary contamination for other larvae
 Silkworm eggs can be safely surface sterilized on any day of development except
during pin head and blue egg stage
 In case of eggs in sheets, dip the sheets in 2% formalin solution for 10 minutes and
wash in running water and dry in shade
 In case of loose eggs they have to be taken out from the container, transferred into a
cloth bag and dipped in 2% formalin solution, wash and dry in shade
 Before incubation bivoltine eggs are disinfected with 2 percent formalin
N1V1=N2V2
V1× 36=1000 × 2
1000 × 2
36

5
 =55.55 ml of formalin +945.5 ml of water
 Egg sheets are dipped in 2 percent formalin for 5-10 min and air dried under shade
condition
 Temperature 25 ⁰C and 75 % RH

Incubation Methods
1. Incubation chamber
2. Earthen pot
3. Hydrodynamic incubator
4. Double brick walled chamber

1.Incubation chamber

 It is made of an iron sheets with double layered wall

 The space between the wall is filled with water to maintain humidity
 It is having ventilator on top and electric heater at the bottom
 This kind of incubation chamber is used in China

3. Earthen pot

 Earthen pot with a wide mouth of diameter of about 15 inch diameter

 Earthen pot is filled with a clean sand layer of 2-3 inch thick and water is sprinkled
based on the need
 A row of holes having diameter of an ½ inch is made at 2-3 icnches above the sand
level
 Silkworm egg layings are tied to rod and hang inside
 Earthen pot is covered with clean wet cloth

3.Hydrodynamic incubator

 It consists of a metal frame fixed with gunny cloth

 The gunny cloth covered box is placed in a tray containing water
 The water rises by capillary action and evaporates from the gunny cloth cooling the
air inside
 It can be used for preservation and incubation of eggs

4.Double brick walled chamber

 It is recommended for large scale by big farmers, Chawki rearing centre and
Grainages
 Chamber is constructed by using by burnt bricks , sand and cement
 The gap between inner and outer wall is 3 inches and it is filled with loose clean sand

6
  Wire mesh, shutter may be fixed at the top to avoid the entry of rodents and other
predators
 The standard size of outer wall is 6×4×3 feet
Inner wall is 4×2×3 feet
 Incubation device accommodates 5000-6000 DFL’s
 Egg sheets are tied to a metal rod with sufficient gap between them

Duration of Incubation varies with breeds

 Incubation of eggs begins from the day of oviposition
 Multivoltine silkworm eggs are incubated for 10 days after oviposition
 In case of Bivoltine/ Univoltine eggs are incubated for 11-12 days

Multivoltine eggs

Multivoltine eggs are also incubated for the uniform development of embryo
 Place the paraffin paper on rearing tray
 Placing a egg card on the paraffin paper in the middle of tray
 Wet foam rubber is placed on the rearing tray to maintain humidity
 Another paraffin paper is used to cover the tray
2. Black boxing

“The eggs at pinhead stage(>60 %) are kept under total darkness either by wrapping
them in black paper or keeping them in a black box or dark room for the next two days.
This process is called black boxing”

 This will helps in uniform hatching on a single day within 2 hour of exposure of
light during morning hours
 During black boxing, the embryos in advanced stage of development will stop the
further development and facilitates other embryo to develop faster
 Black boxing is done to achieve uniform hatching at the end of incubation
 Incubation is done for uniform and healthy development of embryo
 Covering the silkworm eggs with black paper or with black cloth to ensure black
boxing
 To avoid escape of newly hatched larvae from the egg sheet, it must be wrapped in a
tissue paper during head pigmentation stage

Postponing of Hatching
 If hatching of incubated eggs has to be postponed, the following measures are to be
taken.
1. One day after incubation - eggs are to be kept at 5⁰C for postponing
hatching for a period of 10 days.

7
 2. More than two days passed after incubation started - incubation should be
continued till the body pigmentation stage and afterwards they can be preserved
at 5⁰C for a period of 3 days without any damage to the physiology of embryo.

3. Brushing

“The process of transferring of newly hatched silkworm larvae from egg sheet on to
rearing seat is known as brushing”

 On the expected day of hatching, the eggs are exposed to light at 7 am

 Good hatching can be obtained by 10 am
 For this either a soft camel brush or feather is employed
 If hatching is irregular, take two days brushing separately in time.
 Newly hatched larvae can also be refrigerated at 10⁰C and 80 % humidity and uniform
brushing can be taken up.

a. Tapping method/knock off feather

 This method is adopted in egg cards
 20 DFL’s can be brushed
 Freshly chopped tender mulberry leaf of about 1cm2 size bits are sprinkled on egg
cards
 The larvae crawl on to the leaves and start feeding on the leaf surface.
 The chopped leaves along with the larvae are then transferred into another tray on a
paraffin paper by inverting sheet and gently tapping it.
 The free moving larvae on the tissue paper are also transferred to the rearing tray in
the same manner
 The silkworms still clinging on egg shell can be transferred by using feather

b. Net Method
 This method is suitable for loose egg production
 The loose eggs are spread thinly on a paper in the tray since the very beginning of the
process of incubation followed by black boxing.
 After hatching, a net is spread over the larvae and fed with the chopped mulberry
leaves and left for half an hours.
 The larvae crawl on to the leaves and start feeding.
 The net along with the leaves and larvae are then transferred to the rearing tray.
 High density polyethelyne monofilament shade net of 35 % is used for brushing of
silkworm

8
 ANATOMY OF SILKWORM

SILK GLANDS

 Silk gland is modified labial glands

 Ectodermal origin,
 Cylindrical and tubular form
 Second largest organ
 Situated from fourth to eight abdominal segments
 it occupies most of the body cavity ventral to the alimentary canal
 It accounts for the 50 per cent of the weight of the larva

The wall of the silk gland is composed of three layers

1. The outer tunica propria ,
2. Middle glandular layer and
3. Inner tunica intima.

Silk glands is divided in to three distinct regions

1.Anterior region
2. Middle region
3. Posterior. region
Functions of each division in Silk Gland
Posterior region
 It is highly coiled
 Attached to the tracheal bushes
 FIBROIN is secreted

Middle region
 It is the widest of the three regions
 The middle region is again divided into three functionally different sections:

a) Anterior limb- narrow - Sericin III

b)Middle limb- widest - Sericin II
c)Posterior limb- narrow - Sericin1

The middle region acts as a reservoir for the maturation of fibroin and also
secretes sericin around the fibroin as below. Sericin I, the innermost sericin, is
secreted from the posterior section of the middle region; sericin II, the middle-layered
sericin, from the middle section of the middle region; sericin III, the outermost sericin
from the anterior section of the middle region.
 FIBROIN

Sericin I

Sericin II

Sericin III

Cross section of silk gland

Anterior region:

 Uniform thickness and very thin

 It does not secrete any material
 Anterior region of the two sides open at the base of median projection in the labium
called spinneret which draws out the silk in the form of a fine filament
 A pair of glands known as Filippi's or Lyonnet's glands is situated at the junction of
the two anterior regions. A viscous fluid is secreted by these glands and their exact
function is not clear
 DIGESTIVE SYSTEM OF SILKWORM LARVA

 The digestive system is more or less a straight tube from the mouth to the anus.
It is divisible into
1.Anterior fore gut or stomodeum ,
2 .Middle midgut or mesentron
3. Posterior hindgut or proctodeum.

 The foregut consists of narrow pharynx and oesophagus which is narrowing at

anterior and widens gradually towards posterior end.
 The oesophagus opens into the midgut.
 Between foregut and midgut is located a cardiac or stomodeal valve.
 Midgut is a long, wide cylindrical tube narrow at the posterior end.
 The hindgut consists of small intestine, colon and rectum.
 Pylorous valve is situated between midgut and hindgut.
 Rectum is provided with six muscular pads for pressing the excrements.
 Digestion and assimilation of food occurs in midgut, while hindgut absorbs excess
moisture from the undigested food material and eliminates the undigested food.
 The digestive fluid is secreted principally from the goblet cells at the mid-gut
epithelium and the cylindrical cells absorb the digested food.
 The fore and hind guts have a chitinous lining, but an inner layer of peritrophic
membrane in the mid-gut generally protects the mid-gut epithelium from mechanical
damage due to food particles
 CIRCULATORY SYSTEM

 The circulatory system is an open one with a dorsal vessel, extending from the head to
the last abdominal segment along the dorsal median line of the body.
 The dorsal blood vessel is slender tube which open anteriorly near the head region in
front of brain and posteriorly closed
 In Anterior region of the dorsal blood vessel, aorta is present and posterior region
heart is present
 Each of the segments from the second thorax to the ninth abdominal segment has a
pair of lateral opening called as ostia.
 There are eight pairs of alary muscles which are attached to the body wall along the
lateral parts of the dorsum
 Systole (contraction) and diastole (expansion) of the heart are effected by alary
muscles and the musculature of the heart
 The blood enters the heart mainly through the ostia in the seventh and eighth
abdominal segments and to a slight extent only through the ostia in the first six
abdominal segments during diastole, and is forced forward during systole
 The direction of flow of blood in the dorsal blood vessel is from posterior to anterior
where as in haemocoel blood flows from anterior to posterior

a)Aorta
b)Alary muscle
c)Heart
d)Ostium

Circulating system
 EXCRETORY SYSTEM OF SILKWORM

 The malphigian tubules /tubes are the primary organs of the excretion.
 Three pairs of malphigian tubules are present on each side
One is on dorsal
One is on dorso lateral 3 pairs
One is on ventral
 In the larva the malphigian tubes arise at the junction of small intestine (midgut)and
colon in the hindgut of the digestive tract.
 Malphigian tubes are cryptonephridial type i.e., part of the tubules lie hidden within
the wall of the rectum
Each malphigian tubes is having two limbs
a)Ascending limb
b)Descending limb
which are connected anteriorly to form inverted U shaped structure.
 Ascending limb of dorsa and dorsolateral tube unite to form a single duct, which in
turn unite with ascending limb of ventral tubule to form single duct.
 This common duct enlarges to form common urinary bladder
 Descending limbs of malphigian tube become highly coiled and penetrate into the
wall of rectum
 Proximal 2/3rd of each tube excretory in function and absorbs waste present in the
blood
 Excretory product are dumped into digestive system along with digestive waste
 Distal 1/3rd region is secretory in function helps in reabsorption of water ions and
amino acid
 Nitrogenous compounds like protein are metabolised by these tubes and excreted
principally as uric acid and calcium oxalate
 The tubules of the mature larva are light yellow and their walls contain large
quantities of vitamin B2 extracted from the food

RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
 Type of respiratory system –peripneustic type
 9 spiracles are present on silkworm larva
 Respiratory system is also known as tracheal system
 The external opening of the respiratory system is through spiracles
 The spiracle is Atriate type
 Spiracle is surrounded by the strong circular cuticular, chitinous ring called peritreme
 A sieve plate is present within the peritreme which prevents the entry of dust and
unwanted air
 The spiracle leads into an air chamber called as atrium
 A bunch of short tracheal tubes arise from atrium is called as tracheal bush
 Each tracheal bush is connected to main longitudinal tracheal trunks which run on the
either side of the body in the antero-posterior region
 Two longitudinal tracheal trunk are connected by segmental transverse trachae
 Spiracles are closed by the valve present @ the junction of atrium and tracheal bush
 Trachea are ectodermal invagination of the cuticle
2 layer
a) Non cellular layer – tunica intima
b) Cellular layer- Epidermal layer
 The trachea are supported by chitinous rings is called as taenidia
 The trachea ramify and form smaller tracheae is called as tracheoles
 Tracheoles are less than 1µ diameter and lack tunica intima
  Tracheae and tracheoles supply oxygen directly to various parts of tissues and cells of
the body

Respiratory system

Distribution of tracheae on the ventral side of the silkworm

1-9 Tracheal bush

and spiracals
b) Longitudinal trunk
c) Transverse trunk
 NERVOUS SYSTEM OF SILKWORM

The nervous system is divided into three types

1. Central Nervous system
2. Sympathatic or visceral nervous system
3. Peripheral nervous system
The visceral nervous system commands with visual organs and is sub-divided into
a) Oesophageal sympathetic nervous system
b) Ventral (midgut) sympathetic nervous system
c) Caudal (Posterior) sympathetic nervous system

Central nervous system

 The central nervous system of the silkworm larva is divided into the brain or Supra-
oesophageal (cerebral) ganglion, the sub-oesophageal and the ventral nerve card.
 The brain lies in the head, dorsal to the oesophagus and consists of two pear shaped
lobules.
 It is formed by fusion of protocerebrum, duetocerebrum and tritocerebrum and it is the
dorsal ganglionic centre of the head.
 In the larval stages, these three regions of the brain are not marked externally.
 The brain innervates the ocelli of the larvae, antenna and labrum
 The ganglia of the mandibules, maxillary and labial segments have coalesced to form the
sub-oesophageal ganglion located below the oesophagous
 The brain and sub-oesophageal ganglion is connected by a pair of circum-oesophageal
connectives that encircling the oesophagus
 The sub oesophageal commisure arises from the circum-oesophageal connectives, very
near to brain innervates the mandible, maxillae and labium with paired nerves
 Typically in insects the central nervous system consists of a double series of ganglia but
the pair are usually so closely fused that they appear to be a single ganglion.
 In silkworm larva, the ventral nerve card is formed by a series of ganglia on the floor of
the thorax and abdomen below the alimentary canal.
 These are connected in a longitudinal chain by paired connectives arising from the
posterior end of the sub-oesophageal ganglion.
 The thorax consists of 3 ganglion, one in each thoracic segments and eight ganglia in the
abdomen, one in each in the 1st to 8th abdominal segments.
 Last abdominal ganglion is large and is formed by fusion of ganglia of the succeeding
segments
 From each thoracic ganglion the pairs of principal nerves arise of which one pair
innervates the general musculature and the other pair innervates to the leg muscles.
 Each abdominal ganglion has a pair of principal nerves that innervates the muscle of the
corresponding segment.

Visceral or sympathetic nervous system

It is divided into
a)Oesophageal sympathetic
b) Ventral sympathetic system
c) ) Sympathetic nervous system

a)Oesophageal sympathetic
 It is associated with the brain
 Median triangular frontal ganglion present in front of brain
 A median nerve called the frontal nerve arising from the frontal ganglion supplies to
clypeus
  Recurrent nerve connected to hypocerebral ganglion at the posterior end of the
oesophagous
 Nerve innervates to midgut salivary gland and dorsal blood vessel
c) Ventral sympathetic system

 It is associated with ganglia of the ventral nerve cord of the central nervous system
 In each segment there is a transverse nerve which innervates to the spiracle
 These nerves linked by median longitudinal nerve in each segment

d) Sympathetic nerve

 Arising from last abdominal segment constitute the caudal sympathetic system
innervates to reproductive system and hindgut

Peripheral nervous system

 It is fine network of bipolar neurons (sensory hairs)
 Multipolar neurons make an extensive plexus beneath the integument and central
nervous system to form peripheral sensory neuron

REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

 It consist of pair of ovaries along with four ovarioles
 It occupy entire abdominal cavity of moth
 Ovarioles are covered by sheath which has muscle fibre .
 Ovarioles are Polytrophic
 Ovarioles of side unit to form an oviduct
 The two individuals join to form a common oviduct which opens to the exterior by the
female genital pore
 Bursa copulatrix is arising from the junction of the two oviduct and it is sac like
structure
 It opens to the exterior by the opening ostium bursae
 The male transfer the spermatophores through the ostium burase to the bursa
copulatrix from where it is transferred to common oviduct serves to store the sperms
received during copulation
 A pair of accessory glands lie dorsal to the common oviduct and secrete adhesive
glue by which the eggs are attached to the substratum

MALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

 A pair of testis is present in fifth abdominal segment in either side of the ventral nerve
cord
 Each testis is formed by a number of seminiferous tubules
 Vas efferentia of each side unite to form vas deferens
 Two vas deferentia have an enlarged ampulla at distal end and open into the enlarged
seminal vesicle situated in the middle
 From Seminal vesicle arises ejaculatory duct opening into the male genitalia
(aedeagus)
 A pair of accessory gland opens by common duct into the seminal vesicle
 The secretion of accessory gland serve to pack the sperms in a membranous sac to
form spermatophores
 HARVESTING AND MARKETING OF COCOONS

Harvesting of cocoons

 The larva undergo metamorphosis (complete change in morphology) and transforms

into pupa
 For completion of spinning and metamorphosis, about 5-6 days are required
 During summer, the process is faster, whereas, in cooler months, it is slower
 The cocoons should be harvested after pupation, when the integument of the pupa turns
brown and hard on the 5th day
 Collection of premature cocoons or harvesting may lead to loss of silk content of the
cocoons due to incomplete spinning or killing up of pupa within the cocoons
 Killing of pre-pupa or tender early pupa inside the cocoon will lead to stained cocoons,
rendering it unfit for reeling
 To avoid this, harvest cocoons at 6th day after completion of full 5 days in mountage,
counted from the last day of mounting
 The pupa will be hard and cocoon shell will be dry
 This condition will be suitable for safe handling and transportation of cocoon
 Delayed harvest will lead to weight loss of cocoons.
 Normally cocoons are harvested by Hand
 Cocoon harvester is also used for cocoon harvesting from rotary mountages
 Cocoon harvesting is done on the 3rd or 4th day of spinning in the case of
multivoltines, 4th or 5th day of spinning in bivoltines and univoltines in the temperate
regions.

TRANSPORTATION OF COCOONS

 During transportation, live cocoons in a heap or closed container or bag lead to

suffocation of pupa resulting in perspiration which affects the sericin layer of the
cocoon filament Which results in poor reelability
 If the cocoons are packed too compactly they die due to excess pressure, fluid oozing
out of the dead pupae will results in stain and harden the cocoon which results in poor
reelability
 Pack the cocoons loosely, preferably in bamboo baskets or plastic crates or plastic nets
 Transport the cocoon during the early morning or cool hours
 This will lower the quality of cocoons and get low price.

SORTING OF COCOONS

 The process of removal of odd shaped and defective cocoons from fresh cocoon lots is
called sorting of cocoons
 Defective cocoons affect the reeling performance and quality of the silk
 Therefore, unsuitable cocoons are to be sorted out from the good cocoons to get
optimum result during reeling

1
Cocoon sorting s done at two level

a)Farmers level :Before taking to market

b)Reeling Unit: Before reeling After stifling

Methods of sorting

a. Visual Method

 Before the reeling process, all the defective cocoons are to be sorted by spreading the
cocoons on the floor and defective cocoons are separated by hand picking method
 15-20 per cent of the defective cocoons can be separated by this method
 This method of sorting cocoons is not suitable for producing better quality silk yarn

b) Sorting table

 The cocoons are spread on a cocoon sorting table which is fitted with a semi-
transparent conveyor belt
 Beneath, the conveyor belt is fitted with a 500 watts flourescent lamp
 As the cocoons are carried over the conveyor belt, light passes through the cocoons and
defective cocoons are identified and separated

The defective cocoons are picked by the sorters and collected in the containers placed
beside the sorting table

Reelable defective cocoons

1. Defects due to heritable racial character

a) Thin middle cocoons:

 The entire shell is thin and constructed in the middle,

 The cocoons have poor silk content

b) Thin end or weak points:

 The cocoons are loosely spun at one or both the ends

 It is very common in females than males and cocoon spun vertically
 Because of the thin ends, the cocoon become waterlogged when cooked and are
unreelable

Low temperature and high humidity during the grownup silkworm rearing stage and low
temperature and dry conditions during cocooning can also produce this type of defect.

2. Defects due to mistake in rearing and mounting

1. Double cocoon
2. Immature cocoon

2
 3. Fragile/ Flimsy cocoon
4. Mal formed cocoon
5. Under sized cocoons
6. Black stained / inside stained cocoons
7. Mute cocoons
8. Rust / outside soiled cocoons
9. Urinated cocoons
10. Calcified cocoons

1.Inside stained cocoons (dead cocoons)

 Dead cocoons are also known as melted cocoons

 In this case, the pupa is dead and sticks to the inside shell of the cocoon causing a stain

 Melted cocoons are called mutes because they do not make a sound when shaken

 These cocoons are difficult to process and will result in silk, which is dull in colour

2.Outside stained cocoons

 These are recognized by a rusty colour spot on the cocoon shell caused by absorption
of intestinal fluid/urine of the mature worm formed during mounting.

 Reelability is very poor in this case.

3.Printed/Pressed cocoons

 This defect may happen due to improper mounting frames

 These are also called scaffold pressed cocoons

4. Malformed cocoons

 These are abnormal shaped cocoons with impressions of mountage, cocoons with
nonuniform texture of the shell

 Due to defects in the mountage, lack of proper spacing in mountage and fluctuation in
environment during spinning

5. Immature cocoons

 When unripe silkworm is mounted, it wanders about for sometime in search of food and
settles to spin when food is not available

6. Calcified Cocoons

 These cocoons contain pupa or chrysalides which are destroyed by fungus Beauveria
bassina.

3
  When the cocoons are stored at damp room and ill ventilated condition

 Fungus grow on the surface, stain them and render them unreelable

7.Flimsy cocoons

 The shell is loosely spun in layers and has a low silk content due to silkworm infected
with disease

 These cocoons are easily overcooked and produce waste

9. Double cocoons

 A double cocoon is spun by two worms, producing a filament, which can not unwind
smoothly and tangles easily

 As these cannot be reeled along with normal cocoons, double cocoons are used for
manufacture of a coarse, non-uniform, stubby yarn called “dupion”

 Double cocoons may be caused by crowded mounting conditions, high temperatures,

high humidity and mutation of silk species.

Non Reelable defective cocoons

1.Defects due to parasitic infestation

a)Uzi pierced cocoons

 This happens when emergence of moths and also due to beetle and uzifly maggots
 Pierced cocoons are unfit for reeling and can be used only for hand spinning or as raw
material for spun silk yarn

2. Defects due to moth emergence

 These are the cocoons from which silk moths are emerged
 The percentage od defective cocoons in a lot should not exceed more than 5
percent

Defective cocoon %

COCOON MARKETING

 The cocoons are harvested and marketed as early as possible before the moths emerge
from them.
 The live pupa contains water to the extent of 60 to 70 percent of its weight.
 Delay in transport and marketing causes water loss and reduction of weight OR
otherwise results in loss.

4
  It is therefore every rearer should know about the nearest markets, transport facilities,
market timing.
 The rearer should know about safe transport of cocoons, price fixation details, rules and
acts of marketing.

Marketing of cocoons is done through “E-auction system” to avoid middleman

involvement

The following are the guidelines framed by State Government.

The regular procedure of cocoon transaction in a cocoon market is as follows:

1. Both farmer and reeler should have license issued by Dept. of sericulture, Govt. of
Karnataka, to transact cocoons.

2. Cocoons produced by any licensed rearer should be transacted only at Govt. cocoon
markets.

3. First the cocoons brought by the farmer to the cocoon market, issued a bidding slip in
triplet. After auctioning, in the triplet one will be issued for reeler one is issued to rearer or
LSPs, one is kept by the marketing officer.

4. Cocoons are kept on the stands provided for auctioning.

5. Immature cocoon lots will be rejected by the department personnel.

6. Department personnel will inspect each lot for quality and fix base price on visual
examination.

7. Reelers or LSPs will start bidding in presence of market officials and rearer.

8. The highest bidder will have to take the approval of rearer of that lot, in presence of market
officials and put their respective consent signature.

9. In case the farmer is not satisfied with the price offered he can opt for second auctioning.

10. If the both parties agree, the cocoons, will be weighed in presence of reeler and farmer
and put their signatures on the bidding slips for weighment.

11. The reelers has to deposit in cash the total amount incurred for cocoons purchased and
1% market fee on total transaction.

12. The rearer in turn gets the money from specified counters in the market, the officials pay
to the rearer by deducting 1% market fee on total transaction.

QUALITY OF COCOON

The quality cocoons are influenced by :

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 1. To maintain optimum temperature and humidity conditions during cocoon spinning
2. To maintain proper density during mounting
3. Care after mounting
4. Timely harvesting of cocoons

THE PHYSICAL CHARACTERS OF COCOONS

Cocoon Colour

 It is a racial character
 It depends on the presence of colouring pigments in the sericin layer of the bave
 In India generally bivoltine cocoons are white and multivoltine cocoons are golden
yellow, greenish yellow light green colour

Cocoon shape

 It is a racial character
 It is influenced by type of mountage and care taken during spinning of silkworm
 The shapes are oval, spindle, spherical or peanut
 Shape of cocoon helps to evaluate the quality and reelability
 The cocoons with too deep constriction in the middle or with too much pointed are not
suitable for good reeling
 The oval cocoons with slight constriction are good for reeling

Size of Cocoons

 The size of cocoons help in evaluation of quality

 The size is generally indicated by the number of cocoons per litre
 The size indicates the quantity of silk filament, percentage of silk in the cocoon and
nature of the bave
 Uniform sized cocoons are required for reeling
 The number of cocoons per litre varies between 110 and 150 with uni/bivotine races
(sub-tropical) and is more (300-400) with multivoltine races

Hardness or compactness

 This parameter indicates the shell texture and hardness of cocoon layer
 When a cocoon is lightly pressed between the fingers, it should feel firm, compact and
elastic
 A loosely built cocoons with poor reelability becomes compressed when pressed by the
fingers

Grain or Wrinkle

 The wrinkles and irregularities on the surface of the cocoons are termed grains
 Grains/Wrinkles may be coarse or fine

6
  They are caused by conditions maintained during rearing and spinning
 Cocoons with grains or wrinkles are not reeled easily
 The granulation is not uniform but varies with race
 Course granular cocoons make poor reeling and contain thick bave
 For better reeling fine granular cocoons are selected

COMMERCIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF COCOON

Cocoon weight

 It is the most important characteristic of cocoon

 It involves cocoon layer, pupa and cast of pupal skin
 The weight of raw or fresh cocoon is not constant
 The weight of the cocoon decreases gradually till the pupa is transformed into moth
and emerges out of cocoon
 In general, female cocoon weighs more than male cocoon it ranges from 2-2.5 g
 Generally, the weight of the cross breed/hybrids cocoons is more compared to their
parents (Pure breed)
 Weight of the cocoon is variable according to the rearing condition and amount of the
mulberry leaves fed

Cocoon Shell weight

 Higher the weight of the cocoon shell, more is the raw silk content
 The weight of cocoon shell is different in different varieties of breeds and also in the
same breed
 This parameter is influenced by care taken during rearing and mounting
 In Indian multivoltine hybrids the shell weights is 200 to 300 mg., while it is 180 to 250
mg in multivoltine pure races.
 Indian univoltine cocoons have 200 and 300 mg of shell

Shell ratio

 In indicates the quantity of raw silk that can be reeled from fresh cocoons
 It varies with breed of silkworms and care taken in rearing and mounting. The
percentage of shell ratio varies with the age of cocoons.
 Indian multivoltine hybrids contain 12 to 15 per cent shell ratio. In newly evoled
hybrids 16 to 19 per cent and pure multivoltine have 10 to 12 per cent. It is calculated
using the following formulae.

Shell ratio ×100

Length of filament or bave

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  It is measured by reeling silk thread from a single cocoon on a single cocoon reeling
machine called Eupprouvette
 The average total length of filament in a single cocoon is

300-400 m - Indian multivoltine pure races,

400-650 m -Indian multivotine hybrids

800-1200 m – Multivoltine cross breed

1000-1600 m Bivoltine cocoons

Denier

 It indicates the size of the silk bave

 The fineness of the cocoon filament is expressed by size (Denier or Tex)
 The denier is high in outer floss layer than the middle or inner layer
 The Denier can be calculated using the following formula

weight of the filament (g)

Denier = ………………………………………………× 9000
length of the filament (m)

 Denier is used to estimate the number of cocoons required to reel the silk of specific
denier
 It can be measures on denier scale also

Raw silk denier is pre-determined and standardized into three different categories.

I Category : 18 denier and below (Fine)

II Category : 18 to 33 denier (Medium)

III Category : 34 denier and above (Coarse)

Raw Silk percentage

 This is the percentage of the quantity of raw silk reeled in relation to the quantity of
fresh cocoons used for reeling
or
 It is the ultimate percentage of the quantity of raw silk reeled in relation to the quantity
of fresh cocoon utilized for reeling it

Weight of the reeled silk

Raw silk percentage = …………………………………….. × 100
Weight of the cocoon

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Reelability percentage

 The reelability of cocoons depends on the care taken during spinning, methods of
cocoon stifling, storage, skill in processing the cocoons.
 The percentage ratio of unbroken filament to the whole filament length represents the
reelability of the cocoon
 Compared to bivoltine, multivoltines have poor reelability.

Renditta

 It is the value derived from liter of cocoons required to produce one unit (1 kg) of raw
silk
 Multovoltines have a renditta value of 8 to 14 while bivoltine have a value of 6 to 8

Non breakable Filament Length (NBFL)

 It is the average length of the filament from a cocoon that can be unwound without any
breaks

This can be calculated by using following formula

Weight of the filament length

NBFL= …………………………………………..
1+Number of breaks
Floss percentage

 Floss id an entangled loose filament around the cocoon shell and it is unreelable
 Multivoltines have higher floss percentage (8-12 %) as compared to bivoltine cocoons
(2-5 %)

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 SILK REELING

Steps in silk reeling

1. Purchase of cocoons
2. Stifling
3. Storage of cocoons
4. Sorting of cocoons
5. Deflossing
6. Cocoon riddling
7. Cocoon mixing
8. Cocoon cooking
9. Brushing
10. Reeling
11. Re-reeling
1.Purchase of cocoons

The cocoons produced by the silkworm rearer purchased in cocoon market.

2.Cocoon Stifling

 It is a first process taken up as soon as the cocoons are purchased

 Stifling is a process of killing the pupae inside the cocoon without breaking the silk
filament in the cocoon shell
 Cocoons can be stifled by several methods but the popular methods in reeling industry
are sun drying, steam stifling and hot air conditioning

STIFLING ?

 Cocoons in their fresh condition with the pupae alive in them cannot be stored for a
long time as the living pupae are soon transformed into moths which emerge from the
cocoons by piercing the shell through one end
 Cocoons from which moths have emerged are called pierced cocoons
 I.Sun drying

 Cocoons are dried in bright sunlight for a period of 8-10 hours (this is only possible in
tropical and sub-tropical zones)
 Fresh cocoons are spread in thin layers on mat and exposed to direct sunlight.
 Depending on the intensity of the sunlight the process takes 2-3 days
 The method is simple.
 It will be followed for several days till the pupae are killed, cocoons become light and
when shaken they make a rattling sound that indicates the cocoon is dry and the pupae
is dead.

Advantages

 Simple method and cheap,

 Dried cocoon can be stored for longer period

Disadvantages

 Sufficient intensity of light and duration of exposure of cocoon vary

 Effect the quality of silk and increases the proportion of silk waste
 Require more labour and space

II.Steam stifling

Steam stifling means killing the pupa inside the cocoon by exposing the fresh cocoons to
very hot wet steam for the required period

a) Basket steaming
 10-15 kg Fresh cocoons are loosely filled in a bamboo basket
 A thick wet cloth is then tightly stretched over the top of the basket and tired at the
sides leaving the bottom free
 The basket filled with cocoons is placed over the mouth of the vessel in which water
is boiled
 While boiling the water, steam is going to pass through the cocoons
 Steaming is stopped when dense fumes of steam starts coming out of the basket
 Pupa inside the cocoons is going to kill in an about half an hour
 b) Barrel Steaming
 When the water starts steaming, the basket loaded with about 10-20 kg fresh cocoons
is placed n the platform in the barrel and the barrel lid securely closed to prevent
escape of steam
 Due to increasing temperature and pressure of the steam building up, cocoons are
stifled in 10 -15 min
 c) Chamber steaming

Advantages of Steam Stifling

 The cocoons are stifled more uniformly and quickly than in sun drying
 Stifling can be done in all seasons
 Large quantities of cocoons can be stifled

Disadvantages of Steam Stifling

 The moisture content makes the pupa fragile and weak. When such cocoons are stored
in thick layers, the pupae of lower layers are crushed under the weight of cocoons
above. Thus leading to the leakage of body fluids and spoiling the silk of cocoons.
 Steamed cocoons require lot of space for aeration.
 More labour is required for giving frequent turning of stored cocoons so as to prevent
attack of fungus and to ensure uniform and quick drying.
 Wet hot steam also denatures sericin, affecting the reeling resulting in silk wastage,
quality of reeled silk
 Steamed cocoons can not be reeled immediately after steaming , as the sericin will be
wet and fibroin comes out in lumps during reeling
 III. HOT AIR DRYING

The basic requirements of a hot air conditioner are

(1) a chamber for keeping the fresh cocoons to be dried

(2)a fan or blower to supply a steady current of air to pass through the different layers of
cocoons and carry off the products of desiccation during the drying process

(3)a heating equipment

(4) thermometric regulation of temperature in all parts of the chamber.

(5) chamber is provided with adequate ventilation for rapid removal of products of
desiccation i.e., moisture, volatile gases (ammonia).

 In this method the pupae become dry and the cocoon weight is reduced to about 1/3 of
the original weight
ADVANTAGES

 Killing of pupae and uniform drying are achieved at once in one

 system
 Cocoon characters, quality are protected
 It is most scientific method
 Raw silk recovery is more

DISADVANTAGES

 The equipment is costly and suitable for large very large establishments
 Require skilled labour with technical knowledge

3.STORAGE OF COCOONS

 Cocoons can be stored for one month when steam stifled and for 4-6 months when hot
air dried
 To protect the cocoons from fungal attack, the inside temperature and relative
humidity of the store need to be maintained at 27⁰ C to 30⁰ 6C with 60-70 per cent
relative humidity
 Storage room should be disinfected with 2% formalin
 Cocoons should always be kept in thin layers on trays and kept open for natural
evaporation
 Store room must possess good ventilation
 Cocoons should be given regular and frequent turning during storage

4.SORTING OF COCOONS

 After stifling, second sorting is a must before reeling, to get good, quality, uniform
cocoons
 Cocoons such as double, stained, crushed, flimsy, malformed, fluffy, insect damaged,
mould attacked are found in small quantities which are removed and rejected, for
production of high grade raw silk

5.DEFLOSSING

 Floss is the unreelable tangled mass of silk found on the outer side of the cocoon
 Removing of the flossy layer from the cocoon is called Deflossing
 The cocoons with floss obstructions in mechanical processes and results in slowing
the operation and increases wastage of material, labour and time
 6.COCOON RIDDLING

 Riddling is the separation of cocoons based on the size

 The cocoons are made to fall on a set of parallely arranged vibrating bars with definite
space between them
The cocoons are separated according to their size as
1. Large
2. Medium
3. Small cocoons
7.COCOON MIXING

The riddled cocoons are mixed in a certain proportion prior to reeling. This process of
combining cocoons is called cocoon mixing or blending

 It helps to ensure speed and uniformity of reeling of cocoon

 It is essential for ensuring a high degree of efficiency of the automatic reeling
machines
 In filature units, raw silk of specific denier is reeled

8.COCOON COOKING

 The cooking process is done for softening the sericin to facilitate easy unwinding of
the silk filament at the same time
 The sericin content of the silk filament ranges from 25 to 30 per cent, which varies in
different races.
 In cooking process 7 to 8 per cent of sericin is dissolved
 Proper cooking of cocoons for making them easily reelable with minimum waste of
silk

There are two systems of cocoon cooking

1.Top reeling or floating system: In this method, the cocoon outer shell becomes wetted and
still impervious to water and float in water in reeling basin, cocoon gets filled with water
inside to the extent of less than 95 percent

a) Open pan cooking b) Two pan cooking c) Three pan cooking

2.Sunken system: In sunken system, the shell is cooked and in this process cocoon cavity
filled with water (97-98 per cent) and makes the cocoon heavy and sink in the reeling water

a)Conveyer Cooking Machine b) Circular Type Pressurized Cooking

The top reeling is a old method whereas sunken reeling is a latest method
 FLOATING SYSTEM

1. Open pan type

 In this method, cooking is carried in pans or vessels of copper or earthen pots filled
with water
 The vessel is heated from firewood, charcoal or electric heater
 When the water starts to boil (90-95 °C), handful of cocoons is put into water and
kept immersed for 3-4 minutes using perforated ladle
 When the cocoon turn into translucent, dull in colour, feel soapy to touch , when
filaments come off on pulling, the cocoons (indicates proper cooking) are taken out
for reeling

2.Two pan cooking

This is ideal for bivoltine cocoon cooking effectively and produce gradable raw silk

Steps:

1.Cocoons are kept in a perforated cocoon cooking cage

2.Immersed in the first cooking pan at 45-50 ⁰ C for 45 seconds

3.Then transfer immediately to second pan at 90 ⁰ C for 1-1.5 min

4.Brought back to the first pan at 70 ⁰ C for 1 min

5.Then transfer immediately to second pan at 95-98 ⁰ C for 1-1.5 min

5.Cage is left in the same pan for further one min and steam inlet is closed

6.Sprinkle cold water slowly to bring down the temperature to 80 ⁰ C gradually

3.Three pan cooking

 It is carried with three large size porcelain basins fitted in a row on a platform or table

 The wire cage with required quantity of cocoons is immersed in the,

I pan for about 1-1.5 min (90-95 ºC)

 II pan for about 30-40 seconds (60-70 ºC)

III pan for about 1.5 – 2 min (90-95 ºC)

SUNKEN SYSTEM

1.Conveyer Cooking Machine

 It is also called as central cocoon boiling machine

 This is used in large scale modern reeling units
 It consists of a sturdily built long, rectangular container firmly held in an iron frame
 The container is internally subdivided into six processing chambers and open chamber
for loading the cocoons
 Each processing chamber has its own specification of size and constructional design
to suit its particular function
Tem. Time

First Chamber 40-42 ºC 30-50 seconds

Second Chamber 90-95 ºC 60 seconds

Third Chamber 40-60ºC 30 seconds
Fourth Chamber 95-98ºC 118-120 seconds
Fifth Chamber 60ºC the length of treatment depends on
the qualities of the shell
Sixth Chamber 50-60ºC 10-11 min

2.Circular Type Pressurized Cooking

 It is circular in shape and is hand-operated.

 The capacity is 6 kgs of cocoons at a time
 These cocoons are put in 12 perforated baskets made of stainless steel, for cooking
 Water and steam connections are provided to the unit and later the cocoons are dipped
 Steaming is done from outside the cooking
 9.COCOON BRUSHING

Brushing is carried out in order to find the correct end of the filament which is
embedded in the flossy layer of the cocoon shell from the cooked cocoons are
groped to facilitate reeling.

• The brush is made of fibre bristles which are thick and flexible and not too stiff
• It is generally made from Khus-Khus grass (Vetiveria izaniodes) or paddy straw
• The brush is about 15-20 cm long, circular brushing surface about 6-8 cm in diameter

Types of brushing
• 1.Manual brushing(Stick method and hand method)
• 2.Mechanical Brushing
Manual brushing

Stick method
• In manual brushing/Stick brushing the cooked cocoons are brushed manually in
cooking basin itself by using stick/paddy husk

Hand Brushing

• The brush is made of fibre bristles which are thick and flexible and not too stiff
• It is generally made from Khus-Khus grass (Vetiveria izaniodes) or paddy straw
• The brush is about 15-20 cm long, circular brushing surface about 6-8 cm in diameter

2.Mechanical Brushing

• After ladling the cocoons into the cooking vessel for a few minutes, the mechanical
brush is lowered into the basin

• The brush makes clock-wise and anticlock-wise rotary movements

• After a definite number of movements (20- 24) the brush is lifted out of the basin
either by cooking operative or automatically

• It is important to maintain the required temperature of water.

 10.REELING

It is the process of unwinding of the filament from the cooked and brushed cocoons with the
help of reeling machine to obtain raw silk of desired thickness

Or

It is process of unwinding of the filament from known number of cocoons and reel on to the
machine to get desired thickness of raw silk

 The end product of silk reeling is raw silk or grege.

 The required number of baves are taken to form standard size of raw silk
 The baves are combined and passed through the guide-eye of a trader (button or
jettebout)
 The baves coming out button is passed over two or three small wheels or pulleys
during which the filaments are twisted properly
 The mechanism of twisting or intertwinement is technically called as croissure
 This facilities the filaments to guide and firm on machine
 A group of cocoons from which the standard thread is formed at each end is called a
rose or rosette
 Each place in the reeling basin where a thread is formed is called an end
 At this point the thread along with cocoons form a shape of cone which is called as
balloon
Jetteboutte

It is the device which facilitates the new cocoon filament to join the group of
filaments being unwinded in the event of filament breaks

 Jetteboutte is also called as end gathering

 The speed of the jetteboutte is between 400 - 800 rpm
 Filament feeding is made easier even for an unskilled operator
 The threader used in charka is called a tharapatti consisting of a metallic rod with a
number of holes in it

1. Inner metal tube

2. Outer nylon casing
3. Fins or wings


Button

This is a circular ceramic device 20 to 25 mm diameter with concave and convex surfaces an
a hole of definite size in the centre

The button is mounted in a button holder just above the jetteboutte, such that the filament is
passed through the hole

Functions:

 To eliminate excess water adhered onto the silk filaments

 To combine loose filaments
 Obstruct lumps of filaments

Croissure

The filaments from the buttons are made to pass over plastic pulleys and coiled with itself or
with the neighbouring end. This portion of the filament which is coiled is termed as Croissure
and the pulleys facilitating the coiling are called “croissure pulleys”

The objective of a croissure

• To bind the filaments drawn from the button by the coils so that the individual
filaments are bound together under the coils pressure to make a compact raw silk yarn

• It Removes moisture and improves the cohesion property of the raw silk yarn.

• Croissure also brings circular cross sectional shape of the yarn, by which the lustre of
the yarn increased

Chambon type: Charaka

Tavelletta type :Modern reeling machine

Single cocoon reeler (Epprouvette)

 It is a reeling device with a ribbed reel having a circumference of 1.125 m, rested on a

stand to revolve.
 One end of the reel is connected to a disc or digital scale to count the revolutions and
the other end is fitted with handle.
  This machine is fixed to the wooden table and the filament from the individual cocoon
is unwound on to the reel by placing the cocoon in hot water.

There are many advantages of single cocoon reeling viz.,

 To find out total filament length

 To find out the size of the filament (denier).

 To find out the non-breakable filament length.

 To find out the raw silk percentage.

 To find out the reelability.

Reeling machines:

a) Charaka : 4 ends Traditional / Improved

b) Domestic basin : 5 ends Traditional / Improved

c) Cottage basin : 6 ends Improved

d) Multined basin : 8-10 ends Improved

e) Automatic reeling machine : i) Constant No. of 7 Cocoon

ii) Constant denier type.

iii) Constant number of cocoon maintaining

120-140 ends (sophisticated)

Country charaka

 The country charaka is a manually/power operated reeling machine extensively used

in the cottage reeling sector of the Indian reeling industry
 It is entirely home built by the owner with material available locally in the village and
with the help of the village carpenter and blacksmith
 In general installed in the back yard of the cottage in a simple roofed shelter
 The country charakas are not made according to any specifications of measurements

Charaka consists of three distinct parts

1. Mud platform
2. Distributor
3. Reel
Cottage /Filature basin /machine

 The domestic machine was developed by Japanese

 It is the improved machine which was lines of the Japanese multi-end machine
imported in 1951 by the CSB for experimentation
 The Cottage machine is characterized by overhead small reels and separate equipment
for re-reeling
 The machine is developed over charaka reeling machine

Multi-end Reeling Machine

 The multi-end reeling machine came into industrial use about forty years ago
 It was evolved in Japan to make better and more economic use of the superior
quality of reeling cocoons
 This machine with required modifications to suit local conditions has been adopted by
most of the sericulturally progressive countries
 The multi-end machine has basic principle of slow speed reeling, thread production
on small reels at a large number of ends per basin
 Reeling on a small reel, makes re-reeling easier and less waste in material, time and
labour
 Provision of small sized reels facilitates production of improved quality of silk

Automatic reeling machine (ARM)

 This reeling machine was invented in 1901 by Japanese

 It helps in production of silk with 13/15 denier
 An American engineer Edward William Serrel (1880-1885) invented the ARM
 The reeling of cocoons is done by mechanization through various processes involved

Cocoon cooking Brushing End picking

Reeling End feeding

11.RE-REELING

 After reeling, the raw silk is re-reeled from small reel (65-70 cm circumference) to the
standard reel (150 cm circumference) to form hank, then laced and twisted to form a
skein (65-70 g).
 The skeins are bundled to form a book (2kg) and several books are bundled to form a
bale (60 kg).
Lacing and Skeining

 Lacing is knotting the silk hank loosely at 5 to 6 places

 The silk skeins should be laced at six places using cotton thread in the form of
figure 8 so that the silk threads are retained intact without entanglement
 Laced silk in the form of hanks are made into the skeins using a skeining machine
 Press the skeins in book pressing machine to form books

Skeining and book making

 Folded skeins are usually made into 2kg books. The weight of the individual skeins
should be maintained uniformly within a book

 In order to avoid mishandling of raw silk it is recommended to practice long skeining

and long skein book making(5kg books)using long skeining and long skein book
making equipment

Packing

 Packing is done in such a way to protect raw silk from damages by moisture and
insects. Each book is packed with paper & polythene bag

 In case of small skeins, 20kg bales are prepared using 10 books of 2kg each & in the
case of long skeins, 60kg bales are prepared from 12books of 5kg each
 BYPRODUCTS OF SERICULTURE

Byproduct is a secondary product derived during mulberry cultivation silkworm rearing and
silk reeling process

It is not the primary product

I. MULBERRY

 Mulberry as animal feed and poultry feed

 Mushroom production
 Mulberry as food stuff
 Mulberry tea
 Mulberry fruit-wine, jam or soft drinks
 Mulberry as medicine
 Mulberry wood – sports
 Bark used in paper industry (16-18 months)
 Shoots used for making baskets, toys

Mulberry as animal feed

 Mulberry leaves are rich in protein (15-35%), minerals (2.42-4.71% Ca, 0.23-0.97%
P) and metabolizable energy (1,130-2,240 kcal/kg) with absence of or negligible anti-
nutritional factors and characterized by high digestibility and higher effective
degradation potential
 The foliage of the mulberry is highly digestible and of excellent crude protein (CP)
content reaching levels of 20- 24%
 In traditional sericultural countries like China India and Korea , feeding of leftover of
silkworm feeding and plant residues to domestic animals is a common practices
  Cattle feed, Poultry, Sheep, Deer and Pig

Mushroom production

 Mulberry stem, stem powder and bed refuge during silkworm rearing are found to
be good source media for mushroom production

Mulberry leaves as food stuff

 Three ounce of mulberry has nine gram of protein and rich in polynutrients like
anthocyanin, flavonoids, lutein, Zea-xanthin and carotene

 Vitamin A, B, C and D, especially rich in vitamin C

 Soluble CHO, crude protein, crude fat, Ca, Si, Mn, Mg, Fe, Cu and Zn
 In Japan – “Tian-Fu-La”
 Mulberry leaf powder can be added to flour for pastries and cake

Mulberry tea

 A special tea called mulberry tea is made from mulberry leaves

 It is caffeine free
 The tea is known to improve the function of liver and kidney and sharpen the hearing
and brighten the eyes
 It relieves colds, coughs, throat infections, supposed to prevent oxidation of
cholesterol consequently keeping the arteries free of fat deposits and hence hardening
of arteries.
 In Iran, dried mulberries are used as a sweetener in black tea.

Mulberry Fruit

a) Anti-obesity mulberry fruit drink

 A super fruit drink, full of antioxidants is prepared from pure fresh mulberry fruits
 It is a good source of resveratrol (anti-oxidant- reduces levels of the cholesterol that
causes blood clots) which is considered to be beneficial for heart health
 The drink suppresses the appetite and it has been reported as a useful drink against
obesity

b) Mulberry fruit powder

 Mulberry fruit powder promotes healthy cholesterol and controls carbohydrate

digestion in the human body
 It is believed to prevent heart disease, cancer and many other serious diseases
 It works as an anti-mutagen which can inhibit the mutation of healthy normal cells
into cancerous cells

c) Mulberry fruit wines

  Mulberry wine is obtained from Over-ripened and sour mulberry fruits
 The wine has a sweet taste
 The wine made by immersing the mulberry in grape wine works as medicine for
weakness after diseases that can also be used to tonify masculine vitality
 It is believed that small dose of the wine protects against heart and stomach diseases
 In Europe mulberry fruit wine is very popular as a ladies drink
 Used in preparation of Juice & Jam, pickle, Mulberry Butter Cake,Mulberry
Smoothies, Mulberry marble cake

In addition, mulberry leaf and fruits are also eaten as a fresh or dried vegetable or
mixed in confectionery stuff as noodle, soybean c-urd, yogurt, beverage and rice-
cake etc

d) Mulberry fruits in pharmaceutical industry

 The mulberry fruits are used for many medicinal purposes such as for balancing
internal secretions and enhancing immunity
 They are also used to treat urinary disorders, dizziness, constipation, sore throat, fever
etc.
 The fruits of M. alba have a cooling and laxative property and are used in throat
infection, dyspepsia and melancholia
 Fruit juices check thirst, cools the blood, reduces high fever and works as a good
appetizer
 Fruits are also used for loss of appetite, for controlling intestinal parasites like
tapeworm
 Mulberry fruits are reported as antidiabetic with antioxidative properties

Mulberry Stem

 Mulberry stem can also be used in medicines

 The stems are antirheumatic, hypotensive, diuretic etc.
 The stem bark of mulberry is having purgative and vermifuge like properties
 A tincture of the bark is used to relieve toothache

Mulberry Root

 Mulberry roots are one of the important constituents of drug named, “Glucosidase”
which is used in high blood pressure, besides the roots are used in medicines
 It is reported that root juices of mulberries agglutinates the blood and is very useful in
killing the worms in digestive tract
 Root bark of black mulberries (Morus nigra) contain calcium malate, tannins, fatty
acids phytobaphenes, sugar, phytosterol, ceryl alcohol, and phosphoric acid. So,
because of these very properties bark possess purgative and vermifuge like properties,
besides it reduces the blood sugar level in diabetic patients.
  The root bark extract of black mulberries (Morus nigra) contain Deoxyjirimycin
(DNJ), an alkaloid which is said to have active against AIDS virus.
 Root bark of M. alba is used in traditional Chinese medicine named as “Sang bai Pi”,
which is used to cure cough, asthma and many other diseases.

e) Mulberry wood – sports

 The stem in the trees is white in colour, soft and pliable. Used for its durability,
flexibility, and elasticity.

 It is in great demand in the manufacture of sports goods specially cricket bats, Hockey
& Badminton rockets,.

 Many agricultural implements can also be fashioned out of the stem.

 House and boat building materials.

f) Mulberry branches and shoots

 Left over mulberry branches and shoots are being used as firewood in the rural areas

g) Bark is used for paper production

h)Mulberry shoots are easily bent for preparation of baskets

i)Mulberry as dye

 Yellow dye is obtained from the roots and used in the cloth dyeing process
 Fruit can also be used as a colouring and flavouring agent

Bio-digestor – Organic Fertigation

Stall feeding of Sheep / Goat

II.SILKWORM REARING

The major wastes generated during silkworm rearing include

 Harvested leaves (10-20%)

 Unfed leaves (20-30 %)
 Larval litter (60 % of indigested food)
 Exuvia of moulted larvae

 Compost
 Feed for cows sheep pigs buffalaos and poultries
 Biogas production
 Vermicomposting
REARING WASTE IN COMPOST PRODUCTION

 The farm waste can be collected in pits of convenient size. Two pits of size 3x1x1m is
adequate to receive farm waste from 1 acre.
 Sericulture waste like silk worm litter, left over mulberry leaves weeds etc., should be
collected every day and special in a thin layer .
 A layer of fresh cow dung, ash and water is sprinkled over the layer and compacted.
 At the end of the rearing, the left over leaves of the garden, along with the young
mulberry twigs can also be added to the pit.
 The sericulture waste of 12-15 MT can be generated from one hectare of mulberry it
contains 280kg -300kg of nitrogen, 90Kg of phosphorus and 750kg of potassium.
 When the bed height is 30-40 cm above the ground level, it is plastered with 2.5cm
layer of a mixture of mud and cow dung.
 Attached shed is provided to protect the compost pit from rain and direct sunlight. To
enhance the decomposing process a consortium of lignocelluloses decomposing fungi
like Aspergillus sp., Trichoderma sp., and Belaromyces sp., could also be added @
1kg/tonnes of organic waste.
 By adopting anaerobic and aerobic process of composting it is possible to generate
approximately 10-15 tones of well decomposed and nutritionally rich seri compost
from a Sericultural farm of one hectare every year.

REARING WASTE IN VERMICOMPOST PRODUCTION

Utilization of silkworm excreta for incense stick

By utilizing the stickness and burning property of silkworm excreta, preparation of incense
stick using a mixture of 50% dry silkworm excreta and other ingredients.

SILKWORM LITTER IN MEDICAL/PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY

 Estimated that 20 tonnes of silkworm excrement can produce 1 ton of chlorophyll

 Chlorophyll can be extracted from silkworm litter used as colouring matter in soaps,
food, waxes and tooth pastes
 It is used as deodorant, healing agent and medicine to check bleeding of teeth and
gums
 Carotene and phytol extracted from silkworm litter is used in pharmaceutical industry
 Copper chlorophyll sodium is used for the treatment of stomach diseases, hepatitis,
acute pancreatic and chronic nephritis
 Vitamin E and K extracted from silkworm feaces for the treatment of skin and hair

III.SILK REELING

 Silkworm pupae
 Double cocoon
 Silk
 Reeling waste
  Brushing waste

Silkworm pupae

 Pupa oil Silkworm pupal oil are now a days used in medicines having anti-
inflammatory and anti-tumefying like effects, besides treating sinusitis, otitis,
bronchitis, asthma, tuberculosis and urinary infections.
 The silkworm pupae due to their high fat content (over 30%), are used as chrysalis oil
to obtain soaps, lotions and emulsions
 Varnishes and dyes used in the textile and tannery industry,
 The residue formed during the chrysalis oil's extraction is used as natural organic
fertilizer and as food for poultry birds, pigs, fish etc.
 In some countries like China, Japan, Thailand etc, the silkworm pupae are used as
delicious human food.
 Pupa is good source of nutrient either in dry form or deoiled form used for compost
making

Utilization of pupal waste in mass cultivation of Bacillus thuringensis

Bacillus thuringensis is natural pathogen adopted to grow in tissue of silkworm, because of

nutrient rich pupal product of sericulture simply discarded as a waste, the pupal waste used as a
production medium for mass cultivation of Bacillus thuringensis by semi solid state.

Spun Silk is made from silk of short fibre. It is a degummed and twisted silk for knitting
and weaving spun silk fabrics. Compared with raw silk, spun silk possesses more
diversified uses in garments making

Uses of spun silk yarns.-The best grades of spun silk yarn are used as filling in several
varieties of silk fabrics and in pile goods such as velvets.
 Spun silk yarn of high grade is also used as warp in goods that have a cotton or wool
filling.

A considerable amount is used in the production of embroidery and knitting silks.

Lower grades of spun silk yarns are used in making ribbons and silk cords, while the
cheapest grades are used in making knit goods and the poorest and coarsest silk in silk-
mixed fabrics.

The poorest grades of spun silk, those which are carded only and used as filling in
cheaper grades of silk dress goods, in the silk upholstery fabrics in polishing cloths, and
in coarse grades of knit goods.
Silk Lotion

 Silk lotion contains rich silk proteins and silk peptides, which are good moisturizers to
keep the skin soft and moist.
 The lotion is meant for all types of skins.

Silk Cream

 Silk Cream is a natural beauty cream.

 It contains all silk's eighteen amino acids which are absorbed instantly to nourish the
skin and make it moist.
 The cream protects the skin from windburn, sunburn and is especially suitable for
sensitive skin.

Silk Night Cream

 Silk Night Cream contains- Aloe Vera, Jojoba Oil, Silk Amino Acids, and Silk
peptides.
 It regulates moisture balance during the night to nourish and rejuvenate the skin
besides it also assists the flight against wrinkles.

Silk Hand Cream

 It is non-greasy cream and contains rich silk essence which gives rough hands a silky,
soft and smooth feel.

Silk Baby Cream

  This baby cream is made from high quality nutritional elements, natural silk peptide
and raw greasy lanolin which work together to protect the baby's delicate skin.

Silk toothpaste

 Silk toothpaste contains the surface growth factors of the activated natural material
EGF and silk proteins. Thus it helps cells grow, diminish inflammation, prevent
bleedings and heal mouth wounds.

IV.GRAINAGE

Cut cocoons and pierced cocoons are used in preparation of garlands, flower bouquets
greeting cards etc

Spent moths

 Male and female moths will be available as waste spent moths

 It is used as biological material as a feed resource in insectaries for culturing insects
in biocontrol laboratories
 It can also used during compost preparation
 To prepare dyes, soap and also used as animal feed
 Used to prepare drugs to treat trauma and muscular strengthening
 It is also used in Wine preparation